I've been looking at the works of modern embroidery artists for inspiration, and found this article over at My Modern Met that showcases some of the more radical stitch artists out there (I love the gal who embroiders cars.) I'm also a big fan of Junko Oki's work (see Googled images here) because her stitching is so organic and natural, as if the thread grew into the pieces she makes. The white and rose panel up there from the recycled linen quilt was an homage to her.
Pushing the boundaries of my own embroidery skills isn't something I do often, mainly because I'm fairly limited as to the stitches I can execute well. Now and then I come up with a fun way to use traditional stitches, as with this tornado of feather stitching:
I have tried reproducing my original sketches and photographs with stitching, too. From an old drawing of mine came this:
Confidence and vision are the two things you need to push your creative boundaries, and this applies to everything you do, not just embroidery. I've always begun my own endeavors with the mindset of "How can I be different and yet true to myself?" There's nothing wrong with imitating another artist's methods or stule, because we're all inspired by each other (unless you're stealing their art or copyrighted works, in which case, no no no.) Yet I think as individuals we all bring something unique to our creative works: ourselves. I know I've achieved something when I produce a piece that provokes a reaction of "I've never seen anything like that." That's exactly what I want to hear. :)
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