A trained painter, Cayce Zavaglia creates portraits from wool thread using an embroidery method she developed to mimic the effect of drawing and painting. Her realistic portraits nod to the mechanized precision of photography but also pay homage to handmade crafts with their tactile qualities. Because of her unique embroidery method, Zavaglia’s portraits can be viewed as distinct artworks from either side. The clean portraits on the front sides appear fractured and abstracted from the back. Each piece takes about eight weeks to complete, and Zavaglia says that the backs of the portraits have inspired a forthcoming series of gouache paintings. Zavaglia currently has work up in the three-person show “String Theory” on view at Scott White Contemporary Art in La Jolla, CA through June 1. Take a look at some of Cayce Zavaglia’s works below.
