Several years ago while hiking in Tasmania with my husband and then 18-month-old daughter I was quite taken by some strange little plants we encountered on the track. They were tiny plants that grew together tightly, forming their own little world. They look almost like masses of mini succulents clustered together to form large mats or carpets on the ground. I remember stopping to examine these plants closely at the time. I was drawn to them for some reason. To be fair I am drawn to lots of natural things when I go on walks. My husband will attest that I’m very slow and frustrating to hike with because I always want to stop, examine, and photograph things. I had no idea what these plants were when I found them, I just thought they were super cool and I wanted to learn more.

Unfortunately, I didn’t take any photos of this tiny plant world at the time I found them during that hike. Something I have regretted to this day. I likely had my hands full of demanding toddler at the time and was only afforded the luxury of a short visual examination of this tiny flora world.

I had largely forgotten about this curious collection of Tasmanian plants until a few months ago when a lovely collector reached out wanting to commission an artwork for his wife’s birthday. This collector and his wife too had fond memories of hiking in Tasmania. He shared loads of lovely pictures of the beautiful things they had encountered on one of their trips to serve as inspiration for an artwork. The photo’s included some shots of the same carpet of tiny plants that had captivated me on my own trip several years prior. A lovely coincidence and a great excuse to explore this group of plants further in my art.

Cushion plants (Tasmania Australia) Photo provided by the commissioning art collector and shared with permission.

So I got stuck into studying these plants. I still wasn’t sure what they were, I initially assumed they were a type of moss. But with further study I soon learned they were known as cushion plants. The term cushion plant refers to the plant's characteristic growth habit. They form a mat-like structure of tightly packed stems of different plants, all growing at the same very slow rate in order to protect each other from the wind and cold. Cushion plants have an important role in alpine ecosystems in Tasmania, creating a sturdy base for other alpine plants to set seed and grow.

Cushion plants can appear hardy, but are in fact very fragile and can be easily destroyed through trampling. For more information on cushion plants visit: https://parks.tas.gov.au/discovery-and-learning/plants/cushion-plants

When it came to developing my own interpretation of cushion plants in embroidery I was faced with a real challenge. This was unlike anything I had stitched before and these tightly packed plants didn’t leave room for the characteristic negative space I like to include in my works.

So I knew I needed to think and work differently for this one. Which i’ll be honest was daunting. I didn’t know if I could pull it off. But I was also really excited by the challenge. This is one of the great things about commission work. They often push me into new, slightly uncomfortable areas where I can really explore and grow as an artist.

After examining the provided imagery there was one photo in particular that I was most drawn to and ideas started to take form. It was a relatively close-up image of an area of cushion plants that almost looked like a topographical map. I began to see lots of lovely repetitive patterns and shapes in the image. There were four distinct plant species in the image, all growing together like a beautiful camouflage pattern on the ground.

Despite my best efforts, I was unable to identify the specific plant species in the image. There doesn’t appear to be too many tools for identifying cushion plants, not that I could find anyway, and I only had these few photographs to work from. If there are any cushion plant experts out there who wouldn't mind me picking your brain - please get in touch. I would love to know what species I have interpreted in this work.

I came up with the idea to create my own stitched interpretations of these four main plant species and recreate a part of this photograph - well my own stitched interpretation of it anyway. It felt extra special to recreate part of a photograph taken by the recipient of this new work. She would hopefully feel more connected to the final work as a result since her beautiful photo was the impetus for it all.

I planned to create simple stitched structures that I could replicate on mass and then arrange tightly together in a final arrangement that would have the same look and feel like the real thing. My own cushion of plants.

The first step was to create a base layer that would be the foundation of the design.

To do this I mapped out the placement of the four different plant species within a circular design. One zone of the base would be densely stitched, replicating the first of the four species I was focusing on. A pale white and green plant that looked like lots of tiny little balls nestled together.

The rest of the base layer was a structure of loose stitches, colour matched to the other three species I would eventually be arranged on top.

Below is a time-lapse video of me stitching part of the base layer.

I interpreted the other three species in the design with simple stitched structures that were shaped into three-dimensional pieces.

I represented species two and three with identical stitched structures because, from what I observed in the reference images, they were naturally very similar in size, shape and structure. The only difference was their colour, one was a warm golden green, the other darker and cooler. For these structures, I created lacy circles of embroidery which I then moulded into little cup shapes. I made well over a thousand of these little cup-shaped pieces.

Below is a video of me creating some of these lacy, cup-shaped embroidery elements.

The fourth and final species I interpreted was a slightly different structure, denser and almost like a small flower. I played with colour a lot more with these elements, exploring 6 different thread colours in different combinations. It was fun to combine pinks, purples, apricots and even greens in these tiny elements.

When it came time to put it all together it was a painstaking mounting process involving over 6 packets of pins to secure the many many individual elements down. Totally worth it though.

Below is a time-lapse video of me starting to arrange the final layout.

I was initially worried that such a dense artwork would be cluttered and confusing to look at, but it had developed into a very calming and intriguing piece. I feel it is easy to get lost in this work. It draws you in and makes you want to slow down and look closer - just like the real plant did to me several years ago.

I love the subtle texture in this work. All the various stitched elements are mounted at slightly different heights creating an undulating surface, again, just like the real plant community. There is always more to see and discover as you move around the work and view it from different angles.

I was so happy with how it turned out and this may just be the start of a new direction for my work.

This piece was absolutely loved by the lady whom it was commissioned for. The collectors were also kind enough to share a photo of her with the artwork when she received it, which you can see below (shared with their permission).

It was truly an honor to create this piece and I am delighted to think this is an artwork they have a special connection to and will enjoy for many years to come.

Cushion Plant (2021) embroidery thread and pins on paper, 73 x 73cm (framed size) by Meredith Woolnough

Cushion Plant - angled view, (2021) by Meredith Woolnough

Cushion Plant - detail (2021) by Meredith Woolnough

Cushion plant with its new owner. Thank you for this opportunity to create this beautiful work for you.

If there is one thing that I strive for in all of my artwork work it is is to get people to pause and look closely.

To slow down, to study and to wonder.

If I can get people to do this with embroidery then I hope they will then go on to do the same out in the natural world.

Although my stitched interpretations of nature are the safe, ethical little slice of the natural world you can have in your own home, they really do pale comparison to the real thing. Nothing truly beats the beautiful and wonder of nature.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about the creation of this artwork and it has inspired you in some way.

Best wishes,

Meredith

If you enjoyed reading about the creation of this work you may also be interested in these other posts:

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The Journey of an Artwork - Coast Pennywort from start to finish

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