forget-me-not
(2024)

“This series comprises Six 750mm x 550mm fabric panels of painted & machine-embroidered flowers. Started in 2022 the works took more than two years and over five million stitches to complete before first exhibiting at Maggie’s Cafe - Dunedin in 2024.

Inspired by his late grandmother's battle with Alzheimer's disease the series focuses on a bed of forget-me-not flowers as they progressively wilt, break apart and disappear to re-form fully bloomed again at peace as her memory.

Each piece is enchanting in it’s own right due to the variations in colour, texture and in the structural integrity of the flowers within the designs themselves - but seen together they unify into one work that tells that story of loss, change and hopeful rebirth that the artist and others with experience of Alzheimer’s will be familiar with.” - Louis Smith

Forget-me-not Panel 1, 2024

Acrylic paint, ink and embroidery on cotton.
750 x 550 mm.
Not for sale.

In the first of the series the flowers are fully bloomed, full of life, and have a motion to them as if they’re being blown by the wind. I used red paint because I felt it gave the most vibrance for contrast, to give off the feel of something at it’s highest energy. If you look really closely, you may be able to see a very little bit of the background colour creeping into the embroidery work. This a major theme of this series, used to demonstrate a distortion or change of reality.

Forget-me-not Panel 2, 2024

Acrylic paint, ink and embroidery on cotton.
750 x 550 mm.
Not for sale.

The flowers have now begun to change in shape, full petals now start blending into the background. As with the first panel, the background changed from red to yellow. This background now changes from yellow to green to blue, to represent time passing. Towards the bottom of the painting the embroidery starts getting lost in the background representing the beginning of a blurred reality.

Forget-me-not Panel 3, 2024

Acrylic paint, ink and embroidery on cotton.
750 x 550 mm.
Not for sale.

The flowers are now lost to a fully blue background. Whilst still recognisable, they’re now becoming further wilted and fractured, representing losing touch with reality. You may also notice the fornice of the forget-me-not flower begins to fall away.

I started to introduce cotton thread as background colour for this piece to still hold the matte texture of the painted background.

As time passes, the blue background progresses to white, you begin to see just how fractured the flowers have become. This specific piece took over 4 months to draw and a month and a half to embroider. Every stitch line has been hand placed.

You may also notice by now, the center of the flower which started as brown in panel 1, has now over time begun to fade to yellow. I have intended the anthers of the forget-me-not flower to represent soul.

Forget-me-not Panel 4, 2024

Acrylic paint, ink and embroidery on cotton.
750 x 550 mm.
Not for sale.

Forget-me-not Panel 5, 2024

Acrylic paint, ink and embroidery on cotton.
750 x 550 mm.
Not for sale.

This is where the next life cycle of forget-me-not begins. The blue petals have now been reduced to single lines of thread and are now barely recogniseable. You will also notice white shards gradually appearing and transforming into full petals again. The flowers are starting to rebloom in anticipation for the next life cycle.

This piece involved over a million stitches, most of which are different shades of white cotton to match the background paint.

The painted background resolves into bare cotton to represent an end of an era.

Forget-me-not Panel 6, 2024

Embroidery on cotton.
750 x 550 mm.
Not for sale.

Fully bloomed again the flowers have begun a new cycle in life as a memory. You may notice if you step back, they’re the same flowers as panel 1.

Dedicated to and in loving memory of Hilda de Silva.

making of forget-me-not

November 2022 - November 2024

See below footage of creating the individual Panels edited together with some carefully selected music to help provide a narration to the story of forget-me-not.

total runtime 8 minutes.

forget-me-not Panel 1 :

The caring voice heard in the background of this track is a reference to my grandmother, Hilda.

"you're not feeling too well" is a bit of a foreshadowing of what's to come later in the series. The colours too, just fit the track. Lovely and bright.

Track : Rahill - “Healing”

forget-me-not Panel 2 :

The rolling guitar playing, mixed with the child trying to draw attention to something is supposed to feel concerning.

You should start to notice the forget me not flower petals changing colour into the background symbolising a change in reality.

The bells signify that an event is about to happen.

Track : Flaer - “Hew”

forget-me-not Panel 3 :

The continued bell sounds signify an event is now taking place.

Reality is now blurred demonstrated by the blue background matching the blue forget me not flowers.
Musically, the track gives me a sense of hope and strength, especially with the ascending chord progression. It almost feels triumphant.

" I love my life and it's not over" demonstrates a sense of defiance, an attempt to hold onto what reality is left.

Tracks : Flaer - “Hew” & Reservoir - “LML”

forget-me-not Panel 4 :

"Calm down, I'm on your side" can be an empathetic response to a situation that simply isn't fair. It can also demonstrate comfort.

The defending chord progression on the piano fits in with the fractured forget-me-not petals as they fall down the painting. I thought the slow wind Instruments gave it a nice relaxing feel, kind of slow, relaxed breathing.

I think it also ties in nicely for what could potentially be a frantic moment in the series, making it feel quite calm and almost understanding.

Track : Ishmael Ensemble - “Visions of light”

forget-me-not Panel 5 :

Probably the hardest point in this series, as the bed of forget-me-not flowers is no longer recognisable.

The lovely, long spaces between the piano notes feel quite reflective, peaceful and delicate.

The track itself has two parts. It starts off like this.. An then, as it progresses, the "sun comes out" - A bit of a metaphor for a flower reblooming.

Perfect for what I'm attempting to convey in this series.

Track : Duval Timothy - “Wood” (ft. Yu Su)

forget-me-not Panel 6 :

And here we are!

The same track, the birds are out! The flowers are blooming!

The memory lives on.

Forget-me-not.

In loving memory of Hilda de Silva.

Track : Duval Timothy - “Wood” (ft. Yu Su)