Michele Landel

Accustomed to the Dark is inspired by a poem by Emily Dickinson called, We grow accustomed to the Dark. It is about how one must learn to navigate in spite of the absence of light – an appropriate metaphor for uncertain times or overcoming inner turmoil. In essence, the poem is saying that no matter how difficult it might feel, we must continue to create and find beauty and courage, even in the darkness. 

This series also draws inspiration from Gerhard Richter’s flower series - hyperrealistic and blurred at the same time, evoking the sense of a fleeting moment barely captured. Like Richter, Landel uses her own photographs (the peonies are from her garden). Using the medium of embroidered photograph on waxed fabric, she is trying to capture both the grandeur and ephemeral nature of moments in our lives. The flowers and fruit appear like moonlight in the gathering dusk and are spots of beauty in dark times.  

Learning to See (108 x 128 cm) available at Amelie, Maison d'art