Tatiana Rukodainaia – looking for the Beauty of the World

Russia has so many talented embroidery artists! Today, let’s meet LittleBitSun. This young woman, who lives nearby Moscow, used to be a teacher and psychologist for preschool children, before working solely on her art. I do believe that embroidery is somewhat in our DNA as it is probably one of the oldest arts invented by Humans. Tatiana’s journey seems to agree with this idea!
Photos – © LittleBitSun – photos protected by copyright – thank you
text by Tatiana Rukodainaia

My name is Tatiana Rukodainaia – and I am an embroidery artist creating fantastic landscapes. I am above all an experimenter and researcher of new forms, formats, methods, new ideas in volume and stitches on a hoop.
By education I am a teacher, by vocation I am a creative person and I have always invented and created things. I don’t have an artistic education. I have never taken any courses, lessons, or master classes. Even more, I do not know how to draw. I am self-taught and I do my own research and inventions.
I have always loved creating – knitting, sewing, felting wool, making full size flowers, decoupage… I have worked as a showcase decorator, but nothing fascinates me as much as embroidery. I immerse myself completely in the embroidery.

I started to embroider 4 years ago by chance. I had a creative account on IG, but there wasn’t any embroidery there yet. And many different embroidery artists began to catch my eye. And I felt compelled to try, I couldn’t draw, but I would try embroidery.  And I tried it. Initially, I threw everything in the trash, I didn’t like my pieces with stitches.  After two weeks I was in tears, I was very angry with myself. Why ??? Being angry with myself was a great motivator for me. So, I tried again. Not knowing how to embroider French knots, I embroidered them the way I understood. And I achieved a work I was happy with.

Gradually, I started to really embroider. At first I embroidered small shapes – brooches, earrings, pendants. But I was drawn to landscapes all the same, and I moved to embroidering landscapes on a hoop.
Sometimes I didn’t like what I had embroidered and gave it up. But one day I took out a work that I had rejected in a cupboard for 2 months and decided to put it on IG … and a month later it was published in an English magazine. It motivated and inspired me a lot.

 

There is no uniform format for my works. I really do not like monotony – it tires me, and I quickly lose interest. Once I was offered to embroider 25 identical landscapes for a lot of money. I refused. I knew that after the 3d one, I would howl and suffer, so, to imagine doing 25 was just impossible.
I recently realized that my style is a constant search for my own style.
I think and know that my work is art therapy. There are people who wrote to me about this, that the energy of my embroidery supports them and gives them confidence and strength.

I give myself to creativity. I like it so much. I love so much to be in search, I love creating something new. And I also feel incredible pleasure when my customers write me words of gratitude, when they are delighted to hold in their hands a small piece of the sun, that warms the soul and gives positive energy – a piece of embroidery in which I put my love, my vision and understanding of the world.

I really like that there are no frames and restrictions in this work. I like to go around the hoop, even outside it. In symbiosis with floss, I use beads, sequins, wool for felting, natural materials, and decorative threads. The freedom to create is happiness.

 

 

Each of my work has a little philosophical meaning. It’s not just a landscape – it’s an idea.
The idea that our beautiful world is very fragile. My work is a protest against the destructive attitude of man towards nature. My works are the form in which it is given to me to urge people to cherish and admire the beauty of the universe. This is our house. The works of artists and craftsmen will save the world. Beauty will save the world (Dostoievski). Let’s treat nature with care so that we don’t need to save it. Modern man pollutes the world exponentially. It’s sad and scary. We must preserve beauty.
I think that contemplation of beauty makes people better, makes the whole world better. And this is my contribution to this process, embroidery is my tool to help protecting Nature.

I share my work on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook (Таня Рукодайная).
I also sell my work on Etsy.

 

Note from the editor – As I am always curious about supply, I’ve asked Tatiana what threads she is using: DMC, Anchor and threads from the Kirov factory in St-Petersburg. She also likes to add elements from nature itself, like vines or pebbles, which gives the effect of a presence, a great energy. Interestingly, her fans love to display her art in a natural setting.

She finds her inspiration, aside from her own imagination, in nature, paintings, photos, and the work of other embroiderers such as (to name a few): @hoopsee_embroidery ; @yasminlouise_arts ; @zimeksa ; @shimunia ; @mishi_embroidery