The Lioness Queen concept came about as I was slow stitching away and kept adding all the threads and fibers around the Lioness’s face.

Her message is Hakuna Matata meaning “everything is okay” or “to help alleviate worry over a person’s problems and move on with life.”  which is Swahili but its meaning has sort of evolved to have various meanings over the years.

It is a tenant of the Ubuntu philosophy which generally refers to behaving well towards others or acting in ways that benefit the community.

The lioness started with just a woven Ikat scrap of fabric that inspired the face concept in which the blue Ikat would become the eyes. I cut it out but then dipped it half in dye for even more texture creating a not so perfect head.

The Ikat design reminded me of a hashtag, so I slow stitched around the eye areas emphasizing a hashtag.

Next, I was working on another wall piece ripping up handmade natural plant fiber papers and brown paper grocery bags but … luckily not yet ripped up was this Amate Bark paper in an open weave pattern where I realized, had a vague idea that I could weave in and out with all my collected thrift stores yarns.  And my face would be stitched on top.

The Amate Bark paper.  Amate bark paper is made from Amate, Nettle and Mulberry in Mexico.

Details:

This textile sculpture measures 40” in length from the wood pole to the bottom of the longest Raffia strand. And 23” at the widest section of the fibers about 3/4s of the way down.

The Lioness Queen – Fabric thread & paper sculpture / Art