Sorrell Chrystal Kerrison makes hand embroidered portraits that are made to look like Fauvist paintings. Her work is colorful, vibrant, and expressive, or in other words a visually controlled chaos that brings her subjects to life.
Growing up in a valley just off the North Wales coast, Kerrison’s love of art and music has permeated every aspect of her life. “I was brought up in a ‘make do and mend’ household,” she shared with Textile Artist. “Both my parents made and built things, so it wasn’t seen as anything unusual to make or fix your own clothing. I’ve been in various bands throughout my lifetime and used my skills in making and augmenting clothing to print t-shirts or fix up charity shop clothes and make them a little more stage ready.”
Talking about her artistic style she explained: “I like to be flexible and freestyle! Nothing in my work is particularly set in stone. My techniques are a bit punk and raw. I want to improvise as I go and I love it when accidental mistakes happen, rather than planning every aspect of a piece.”
Now her embroidery work has gathered a cult following on Instagram, and she was even commissioned to create a portrait of the musician Andrew Hung for the cover of his debut solo album Realisationship.
“It was so exciting to see my work printed up on a vinyl cover and suddenly it was everywhere as part of his tour promotional material,” she said. “I’d walk past a music shop and there would be a giant piece of my work printed out. It was wild and exhilarating!”
Take a look at some of her unique portraits.
