Elçin Özcan from Ankara, the capital of Turkey, is a cross stitch expert with a mini gallery featuring recreations of famous masterpieces. The Turkish artist’s gallery includes recreations of works of art such as “The Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh, “The Scream” by Edvard Munch and “Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci. The masterpieces of cross stitch are fascinating with their elaborate patterns and craftsmanship.
“I have always been fascinated by paintings and painters. I used to watch my grandfather paint for hours,†she said.
“I used to visit all art museums on trips abroad, so I already knew a lot about the paintings I have reproduced so far. As I made these miniatures and put them on. online people started suggesting other paintings and i checked them (reading) on ​​the painter and the painting and also turned some of them into miniatures.
Noting that creating miniature versions of famous cross stitch paintings has been a learning opportunity as well as a creative journey for her, zcan continued. “I always have an overwhelmingly positive response to them, especially when they are displayed all together. I am really proud of my personal mini-museum,†she added.
Özcan said it takes about a week to create each mini-artwork, although some may take longer. She said the design process behind “The Starry Night” took 10 to 12 days and the tailoring process took a week.
She initially uses software to make the designs, but added, “The software does a really bad job when the scale is so small.
“I end up changing the pattern point by point, adjusting the colors as I go. I also make a lot of changes while sewing. Software is never better than the human eye. So a lot of changes occur during sewing. I embroider and frog (term for tearing off a stitch), stitching and rubbing until I’m satisfied. “
Özcan added that she came from a “very artistic and creative family”.
“My mother creates all kinds of things – paintings, clay ornaments, cross stitches, knitting and jewelry, to name a few – and my grandfather was a fabulous painter at the oil, â€she said.
“I was always surrounded by arts and crafts materials growing up, so I tried everything my home has to offer. I knew how to cross stitch from a young age. wasn’t my first choice for crafts until I was 30. “
Özcan is currently working on “Flaming June” by Sir Frederic Leighton.
