Before The Faces

Boro stitched cloth figure by Kelly Mead

Before I began making stitched portraits, I was building soft sculptural figures from cloth. Even then, the human face was already central to the work. The features were simplified, but I was interested in how very minimal stitched marks could still suggest identity, presence, and emotion.

Around this time, I was also looking closely at Boro textiles and the idea of repair, repetition, layering, and visible stitching. I was drawn to how thread could function both structurally and emotionally — holding something together while also leaving a record of time and touch.

While these early figures were less focused on bodily realism, the face was already pulling toward a more realistic sense of expression even though simplified in stich form.

Looking back now, I can see many of the ideas that continue through my current work: the stitched mark, the tension between softness and structure, and an ongoing fascination with the human figure and face.

The work has evolved, but many of the core ideas were already beginning here