Artist spotlight: Lindsay Bottos

We recently stumbled across the work of 21 year old artist, Lindsay Bottos online; and were instantly drawn into her world of re-woven memories and secrets told. Botto’s originates from Maryland, USA and is an active student at Maryland Institute College of Art. We love shining a spotlight on talented female artists, but for someone still so fresh onto the art scene, Botto’s is making a name for herself in the art world quickly – with many recent features and spotlight on her work, most specifically her ‘Tumblr’ project. An insight into the world of anonymous girl hate online; where she juxtaposed images of herself with screen captures of the kind of ‘abuse’ filled and inarticulate messages she received daily on the blogging medium.

Alongside her photography and needlework, Botto’s also boasts a minor in Gender Studies, identifying herself as a feminist artist, with her studies influencing themes surrounding her work.

Once known as ‘women’s work’ needlework has been making a considerable comeback in the past few years with modern women using old fashioned techniques to create contemporary art. Botto’s explains her views in regards to the surge in women turning back to needlework in their art.

‘As with a lot of other modern female artists, I use embroidery to reclaim the very feminine craft as a medium.’

Her work focuses on memories of relationships past, feelings and emotions powerful enough to force their way into her art. She portrays the constant questioning that forebodes relationships & dating in your twenties. The forcefully titled ‘I Don’t Really Miss You’ is presented on embroidery hoops, with some dangling strings still visible, leading her sentences on hoop after hoop. There are methodical rhymes and reasoning behind every creative decision in the creation of her pieces, Botto’s explains. “There’s a very tedious and therapeutic quality to embroidery and sewing which made it a perfect medium to work with for this project.”

The hoops are adorned with images, with text stitched across and throughout, as well as extra patterning and framing stitches. The fabric used was obtained from old clothes which had particular memories attached to them, memories of which Botto’s was addressing. These specific choices of fabric created a muted colour pallet, which although not entirely intentional at the time, fully solidifies the overall tone and mood of the series; a whimsical melancholy.

The frank and honest reveltaions throughout her personal series are easily relatable, and perfectly imperfect in their execution. We fully support female artists who share the same boldness Botto’s holds, and we are excited to see what other thought provoking work she will have to showcase in the future.