‘Artist Spotlight’ Of The Week: Carley Pettitt
Howdy Nation! In today’s post, we are going to be featuring our ‘Artist Spotlight’ of the week: Carley Pettitt. Carley is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to her embroidered art. Originally a painter, she used her love for animal conservation to inspire her to create unique, intricate pieces with a focus on raising awareness for our planet’s wildlife. Today, she will be showing us her art showcasing 2 different octopus species!
All videos and images are provided by Carley Pettitt.
Meet Carley Pettitt!
Growing up with an intense love for animals and developing a career in animal care, Carley is no stranger to the weird and wonderful animal kingdom.
She began Nest Embirdery in 2020 as a way to explore the capabilities of fibre art and needlework in a modern way. Through her embroidery art, she advocates and educates others about endangered species and how we can save animals across the globe!
Tell us a bit about your octopus artwork
“My love for octopuses is amplified by the ability to use such creativity when stitching their likeness. These pieces, although all incredibly different, were so satisfying to stitch and reflect the personalities and abilities that cephalopods possess.
Three styles were used:
- Traditional floral embroidery
- Thread-painting
- The uses of multimedia watercolour in conjunction with embroidered linework”
What draws you in or fascinates you the most about octopuses? When did this start for you?
“I’ve always been drawn to the witty and intelligent creatures of the animal kingdom that are often overlooked, such as corvids and octopuses. They are so undervalued and immensely fascinating to me.
I love the personalities they display and the skills they possess to outwit even the smartest man.”
How did you first become interested in creating art featuring octopuses?
“I wanted to create an homage to the creatures that shapeshift and change colour. That’s where the obsession began!”
How long your work takes you to complete… Can you discuss any interesting or unique techniques you use?
“The time it takes for each individual piece depends on the style. The watercolour embroidery and floral embroidery probably took me about 15-20 hours, whereas the threadpainted octopus (the more realistic one) took me about 30-40 hours.”
Was this modeled after a specific octopus species?
“I’ve used the Mimic Octopus and the Giant Pacific Octopus as inspirations!”
What materials were used?
” For this art piece, I used:
- Watercolours
- Cotton
- Embroidery Thread
Who (or what) are your biggest influences?
“My biggest influence is anything in the animal kingdom! I feel like the inspiration is absolutely endless.”
How do you know when a piece is finished?
“I don’t! I always have to stop myself before I take it too far.”
What’s the best website for people to discover your work?
” You can check out my store, Next Embirdery.”
Thank You For Joining Us For Artist Spotlight!
First, we want to give a big thank you to Carley Pettitt for allowing us to showcase these beautiful embroidery pieces on OctoNation. To continue supporting Carley and her shop, make sure to follow them on Instagram @nest.embirdery and on Facebook.
If you want to educate yourself some more about all sorts of different cephalopods, take a look at our encyclopedia. Or, what we call it, our Octopedia!
Connect with other octopus lovers via the OctoNation Facebook group, OctopusFanClub.com! Make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram to keep up to date with the conservation, education, and ongoing research of cephalopods.
✨Click here to Adopt an Octopus!✨
More Posts To Read:
- Do Octopus Bite?
- Does Octlantis Exist?
- “How The Octopus Lost Its Shell” (Octopus Comic)
- What’s The Difference Between Cuttlefish vs. Octopus?
- Breaking News – There are now THREE new species of Nautilus!
Vee is the blog manager here at OctoNation. Her love and knowledge for all things cephalopods has grown immensely since joining the OctoNation team- and continues to grow daily!
Vee uses her skills of writing, editing, and brainstorming to help create fun, yet educational posts about cephalopods- Something everyone can read and enjoy! As someone who spent the better part of her childhood near the ocean in Miami, Florida, she grew up learning to appreciate all sea life. Her love for the sea inspired her to do something daring- she dyed her hair blue!
