Intricate Thread Paintings by Artist Chris Roberts-Antieau

Thread Painting by Chris Roberts-Antieau

“Intrepidus”

Painting is often thought of as being done with pigment, like acrylics and oils. But that’s not the case for Chris Roberts-Antieau. As a pioneer of machine embroidery and its possibilities, she refers to her primary body of work as “thread paintings,” using thread and fabric appliqué to create her complex compositions. They range in subject matter, from unbelievable true stories to her personal reflections on nature, reality, truth, and perception. Each is united by her unique blend of stylized forms and thread as a way to infuse dimensionality into otherwise two-dimensional artwork.

When viewing Roberts-Antieau’s tapestries from afar, it’s hard to believe that they are, in fact, works of fiber art. The detail that she achieves with a household Bernina sewing machine is awe-inspiring. The intricacies of her work are created using countless stitches on the machine, varied in such a way as to produce texture and pattern.

In Intrepidus, for instance, the figure’s skin looks three-dimensional thanks, in part, to the use of tiny uniform stitches that give shape and form to cut fabric. The tiger’s fur is handled similarly, but with even more complexity. Each stitch acts like a brushstroke, and Roberts-Antieau has layered colors and thread direction to give the feeling of the creature’s majestic fur patterns.

Roberts-Antieau has had a long career, and her work resides in public collections throughout the United States and with A-list private collectors, including Oprah, Mindy Kaling, and John Malkovich. Before she began her career as an artist, however, her sense of creativity and wonder was cultivated by a vibrant family life. Roberts-Antieau, admittedly, did not do well in school. She failed the ninth grade and was not recommended for college. “But,” she writes, “I had parents who were big expansive thinkers. We had debates every night at the dinner table. We were taught to think analytically. Both of them had a tremendous sense of humor.”

“I remember more than once, my mother having to pull the car over because she cracked herself up so much,” Roberts-Antieau continues. “They also had the habit of creative spontaneous joy. It was normal for my father to come home from work, pile us all in the back of the station wagon, and take off with no destination in sight.” This undoubtedly informed her artistic development as she sought to forge paths of her own.

Follow along with the artist—including her adorable bulldog, Kevin—on Chris Roberts-Antieau’s Instagram.