Yarn painting gallery
All images below depict original works by me, Megan Galbraith Donahue. They were made using wood slabs, a pinesap/beeswax mixture, yarn, and some good ol’ fashioned elbow grease. There is no glue, so they smell divine. I do not draw the images in advance. All line work, shapes, shading etc. is done “on the fly” as I’m building the piece.
Background
I started yarn painting in 2017 and have continued off and on ever since. This beautiful technique was taught to me by the amazing artist, Timothy Hinchliff. I’m a wee apprentice in this craft, whereas he is truly a master. Please check out his work. Many of his pieces are for sale, and they are stunning.
The first time I attempted to yarn paint, under Timothy’s tutelage, I felt a log jam release between my mind & my hand. All morning, I’d earnestly been trying to capture a feeling for “Mountain Molly” through my hand-sketching. I was drawing it accurately, yet it was lacking a certain energy … an energy that came incredibly easy once I tried again later that afternoon, now using this new medium.
I learned from Timothy how to adapt this Mexican arts & craft to my own style, in order to tell the stories and evoke the imagery most important to me. Yarn painting is a meditative, tactile form of creation (not that unlike knitting or so I’m told… knitting stresses me out, tbh?). It does wonders for my mental health to sit and get lost in the creation of a new design, via this method. I’m so thankful to have had the chance to work with Timothy on multiple occasions over the years. There is no better storyteller in the world.
Every time I begin a new piece, I pause to honor the Huichol traditions with prayer. They evolved this form of art from their own shaman practices. To them, I am indebted.
I hope you enjoy my work, and check back from time to time as I add more!
- megan