Bring on the autumn nostalgia! The Canadian behind Ffembroidery was inspired by her Saskatchewan childhood
Every month, we feature a new take on the CBC Arts logo created by a Canadian artist. Check out our previous logos!
According to her official bio, Patricia Larocque was raised in "deep northern middle of nowhere Saskatchewan." She'd prefer to keep the exact location a mystery. "I don't want to doxx my family," she jokes, assuring CBC Arts that her hometown can, indeed, be located on a map — just outside of Uranium City.
But for more than a decade, Larocque has been living in Europe, where she's established herself as a textile artist in-demand. She's especially known for her work in embroidery: patches, bags and other one-of-a-kind objects. And if she's not referencing spooky pop-culture in her work, she's celebrating the general awkwardness of being alive. Just look to her signature motif: a wiggly expression of anguish that she stitches whenever the memory of an embarrassing moment pops into her brain.
You won't find her trademark "cringe face" in this month's logo design, however. Instead, Larocque was inspired by her time in Canada, and all the happy memories of the places she's lived. Read on!
There are so many fantastic little scenes in the logo: the eagle, mountains, etc. What do the different icons represent to you?
To me, those are some of the things that represent growing up in northern Saskatchewan. My parents' house was (still is) filled with eagle plates/photos/feathers, and my dad carved eagle heads out of antler bone.
I moved to Vancouver after high school (as you do). It had a huge impact on my life and that's what the mountains in the logo represent. The beaded flower mixed with the French knots and the checkerboard pattern were just a fun way to add a bit more colour/pattern and tie everything in.
I always heard this growing up. My kokum (grandma) used to say it to us kids. And also, whenever I call home my dad always asks: "When are you coming home?!" It's a bit of a running joke in the fam.
Some of Patricia Larocque's recent embroidered patches.
What brought you to Europe?
I visited Berlin for the first time around 2006. In 2010, I wanted a change so I decided I was going to move there. I went as an au pair (the easiest visa to get), and I lucked out with the family and met my boyfriend there. He's French, so I decided to move back to France with him. That's the short and sweet version. I could write a manual on the intense French bureaucratic visa process.
What originally drew you to embroidery?
I was a knitter growing up and sewed a bit. The details are fuzzy at this point, but I wanted to make a gift for someone and Googled "cool embroidery" or something like that and saw Jenny Hart's embroidery. I realized that it was possible to create a cool modern image with embroidery, I gave it a try and found that I loved it.
Are there any arts events on your radar this fall? What are you excited to check out?
I'll be doing a textile market in Paris on Sept. 16 and the DIY Art Market in London on Dec. 9.
I enjoy doing a market or two a year just to be able to chat with people IRL and meet other artists.
Nothing much! August in France is the vacation month. I just got back from a week in Berlin so I'm feeling refreshed and inspired.
I'm also working on designing some more machine-embroidered patches. I have a small machine at my house and I design the patches on my computer. I'm trying to build up a bit of stock for fall/winter markets. I feel more inspired/more myself in colder weather so I'm hoping to get back into making bigger felt wall hangings this fall.
What's your favourite place to see art?
Sorry to say, but my favourite place to see art is online. I follow a few art/design/fashion Instagram accounts and it helps me keep up to date/discover new artists and see what the latest trends are. I also like wall art/murals so seeing that stuff IRL is inspiring.
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