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Artist Profile

Mercedes L. Bowyer

I have worked in the arts and culture field most of my adult life. My grandmother had taught me needlepoint at a young age, but at that time, it didn’t stick. The onset of a global pandemic as well as the desire to quit smoking really fueled my motivation to investigate a more traditional hobby and figure out how to bring it into the present. I discovered that the traditional painted canvases didn’t challenge me, so I decided to create her own original designs and incorporate different stitches with no guide. I mostly use my own photographs or those of her painter/photographer husband, Mark for adaptations. These have further developed into landscapes featuring my home state of Michigan.

I have exhibited all across Michigan and into other states such as Georgia and Virginia. I am currently enrolled in the American Needlepoint Guild's Master Needle Artist program and is working on my capstone project, an original creation celebrating the history and evolution of samplers.

I am determined to challenge the preconceived notion that needle arts are not fine art and do not have a place in the art world.

My fiber art creations are modern while paying homage to their history by using traditional techniques

Affiliations

Crooked Tree Arts Center, Petoskey and Traverse City, MI
Glen Arbor Art Center, Glen Arbor, MI
Oliver Art Center, Frankfort, MI
Muskegon Museum of Art, Muskegon, MI
American Needlepoint Guild