01
Ground
Canvas, jute, or linen is stretched and stained. Acrylic is laid as a first weather — the climate the figure will inhabit.
Studio
How a thread becomes a face.
Thread painting is slow looking made material. Each work is built in passes — not blended away, but kept, so the labour of feeling stays on the surface.
02
The first stitch
A single thread is pulled taut. It is both drawing and wound. Direction is chosen the way a voice chooses a first word.
03
Building the face
Hundreds of passes accumulate into skin, scarification, cloth, and shadow. What painting would blend, thread keeps visible — every decision remains on the surface.
04
Release
Loose strands are left to hang. The work is not sealed against time; it is allowed to breathe, to catch light, to keep a little unfinished truth.
Watch the stitch
Watch the stitch
Process films from Mary’s own Instagram and TikTok — the hoop, the thread, the slow build of a face.
Commissions
A portrait in thread.
Commissioned works begin with conversation — subject, scale, and the feeling the piece should hold. A written agreement and deposit start the stitching. Typical portraits take several weeks.
Visit by appointment
Collectors, curators, and writers are welcome in Ile-Ife. Write ahead so the studio can prepare the works you wish to see.