Portrait of an Artist No. 2

Medium: embroidery on Polaroid
Size: 4.2 x 3.5” (10.67 x 8.89 cm)

For this piece, I captured a series of self-portraits with my cherished Olympus OM1 35mm camera and Ilford HP5 film.

I originally intended to turn one of these photos into an embroidered Polaroid using my Polaroid Lab. However, only color film was available in my Lab. Rather than switching the packs, I decided to embrace the unexpected and printed the black and white image on color film, then cut the Polaroid into strips.

Inspired loosely by the Japanese principle of Wabi Sabi, I stitched the strips back together, using thread that echoed the unique hues of the print, celebrating imperfection and the beauty of the process.