Artist Bio - Natalia Margulis

Born in Russia and having graduated from St. Petersburg University, Natalia has worked in the U.S.A. as a full time artist since 1993. Through her participation in the most prestigious art and craft shows she has gained recognition and won numerous top awards in contests. Her works have been published in various books and magazines and she has taught embroidery classes. Her passion for fiber helps her to find the needle as a versatile instrument to capture the impression of nature; to create a place where you want to be.

When developing a design, she attempts to connect the modern and traditional multicultural elements of hand and machine embroidery to create unique, intricately stitched cloth. Drawing with threads on the plain painted background is improvisational; hooped fabric is moved freely by hand under the machine needle, which serves as a pencil.

The background is created with plenty of stitches incorporated with strips of hand dyed fabric, threads, and ribbons, giving the surface a particularly rich textural and color saturated effect. The surface becomes truly three-dimensional with knots, ridges, bumps, and holes, and is finally decorated with hand stitches. Different kinds of overstitched threads such as shiny and smooth rayon fluffy wool and matt cotton capture the light and reflect it in constantly changeable shades - adding a glossy iridescence and animated depth to the design.