Introducing large scale textile wall art!

On view now at Roll & Hill, we are thrilled to showcase new large scale textile art! Great Grey Owl and Roseate Spoonbill embroidered textile art pieces were created by Stephanie Housley, founder of Coral & Tusk.

 

Great Grey Owl and Roseate Spoonbill by Stephanie Housley, Photo by Will Ellis

 

The entire scene is embroidery on linen, and then additional feathers are individually embroidered, hand cut and hand sewn onto the base embroidered layer. This layered, textural approach brings the birds and their habitats to life, with surprising details stitched throughout. 

Read about Stephanie’s inspiration, her process for a large scale piece, how to see these in-person and more on these incredible birds below!

 

Detail of Roseate Spoonbill, Photo by Will Ellis

 

Inspiration

For our Coral & Tusk 2021 Spring and Summer Collection birds were the main focus because of the impact they had on me over the last couple years. They brought such immense joy and happiness to that span of time, even more than usual. Being able to observe new birds, learn their names, migratory paths, habits, habitats, nest types, egg colors, tree and food preferences was a treat! 

 

Great Grey Owl 

Soon after we moved to Wyoming, a Great Grey Owl landed on our deck, I was amazed to see  it in person!! In diving into this research more I discovered so many fascinating notes to include in these pieces. The Great Grey Owl is the biggest owl in North America and the largest bird species by length. They actually don’t build their own nests, but take over abandoned nests which is why you see the Raven that had made the nest and the three owl eggs now cozy inside the nest in the art piece. 

 

Roseate Spoonbill

I had always loved these birds and their lush swamp habitat but they felt so unfamiliar to the US and so tropical looking! I was finally able to see them in person while visiting my mom in Florida. In the US, they are native to southern Florida, Texas and Louisiana found in lakes, swamps, and estuaries. Roseate Spoonbills almost became extinct and were put on the endangered animals list in the 1940s because the millinery industry created hats in the late 1800s and early 1900s with their feathers. Today they are thriving again thanks to their inclusion in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

In this piece, you’ll find hidden details in the background, like the snake who swallowed a bunny, one creeping alligator and a small frog under root cover.

 

Detail of Roseate Spoonbill, Photo by Will Ellis

 

Process

I wanted to be able to create a large scale art piece for years and had an inkling of these birds, so I was thrilled to bring them to life for the Roll & Hill showroom. 

I started with sketches, refining them to tighter pencil drawings and creating color palettes of the birds and their habitats to match our threads to. These pieces are a much larger scale than how I normally work - each bird is 28 1/4" x 38" making the stitching extremely full and enhanced with so many details. Each bird scene is embroidery on linen, and then additional feathers are individually embroidered, hand cut and hand sewn onto the base embroidered layer. 

 

The individual embroidered feathers give a textural depth and practically rustle like real ones! Due to the intricate layers, each Great Grey Owl and Roseate Spoonbill art piece comes framed in a 2.5” deep museum quality anti reflective glass and wood frame in order to appreciate the details.

 

 

Detail of Great Grey Owl frame, Photo by Will Ellis

 

To view or purchase these pieces

Please click here to make an appointment at Roll & Hill’s showroom at 3 Mercer street in New York City.

To purchase, please email sales@rollandhill.com

Stephanie Housley 

Spoonbill and Great Grey Owl, 2021

Embroidery and appliqué on linen

Walnut wood frame, museum quality non reflective glass 

Measures 30.25” x  40”

 

 

Image courtesy of Roll & Hill of Lindsey Adelman's Agnes Cascade Chandelier, custom embroidered Great Grey Owl artwork by Stephanie Housley and Roll & Hill's Chamber side table in black walnut designed by Post Company.

 

Detail of Great Grey Owl, Photo by Will Ellis

 

To learn more

Through learning about birds, it is impossible to not recognize how threatened birds are everywhere for a multitude of reasons and that there are upsetting decreases across all kinds of bird populations. These threats are human caused. For all of the invaluable gifts that birds provide us, what can we humans do in return?

Of course there is no single answer to this question and there will be a different answer for everyone. Here at Coral & Tusk we will continue to educate ourselves and strive to inspire others to engage in observation and preservation of wildlife and habitat. We donated 10% of 2021 profits from the Songbirds Collection to the National Audubon Society, and you can read more about our pledge HERE!

We love educating ourselves about owls from our friends at the Ojai Raptor Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of birds of prey and other wildlife, and to providing educational programs about wildlife and our shared environment.

I am excited to read this book, “Owls of the Eastern Ice” about Blakiston’s fish owls in Russia!

Read more about Roseate Spoonbills and their Florida Everglades environment at the Audubon Society HERE and about how they’ve been migrating more north in this National Geographic feature.