Pulling the Thread — Lucy Ricardo Hand-Embroidered Textile Portrait

Description

A single red thread runs through this mixed-media portrait of Lucy Ricardo, connecting three separate moments of the hand: holding, pulling, and stitching.

At the center is a vintage black-and-white portrait, transformed with hand-embroidered floral details along the collar. Above and below, minimalist embroidered hands manipulate the same vivid red thread, which travels physically across the composition and through the portrait itself.

The piece plays with the idea of women’s hands, women’s work, and the invisible thread connecting generations of makers. The traditional association of embroidery with domestic femininity is brought into conversation with one of television’s most recognizable women—a performer whose comedy frequently challenged expectations of how women were supposed to behave.

The restrained palette of black, cream, and photographic gray makes the red thread especially striking, while the tiny pink and green flowers provide an unexpected moment of softness.

Mounted against a dramatic black background, the three-part composition has the feeling of a film strip, archival object, or fragmented memory.

Details

• Original mixed-media textile artwork
• Vintage photographic portrait printed onto fabric
• Hand embroidery
• Embroidered floral collar detailing
• Hand-stitched line drawings
• Continuous dimensional red thread connecting all three panels
• Mounted on black presentation board and framed 7.7″ wide and 15″ long
• One-of-a-kind original artwork