“Cool” isn’t usually a word that we associate with needlework, but the work of Pennsylvania-based artist Daniel Kornrumpf feels like it was dreamed up specifically to prove us wrong. In his hands, the traditional medium is subverted into something that feels incredibly modern and looks just like a painting. Detailed, textured portraits of people who you’d typically find roaming the streets of Williamsburg populate his canvases, and as a commenter over on Booooooom points out, there’s more than a hint of Chuck Close to be found in Kornrumpf’s carefully hand-stitched work. Click though to check it out for yourself.
Daniel Kornrumpf, Brooklyn Bobby (Detail), 2007. Hand embroidered on linen. 50″ x 44″
Daniel Kornrumpf, Focal length (Detail), 2009. Hand embroidered on linen. 42″ x 36″
Daniel Kornrumpf, Austin Texas (Detail), 2009. Hand embroidered on canvas. 42″ x 36″
Daniel Kornrumpf, diamonds on my neck. diamonds on my grill (detail), 2007. Hand embroidered on canvas. 42″ x 36″
Daniel Kornrumpf, Focal plane (Detail), 2008. Hand embroidered on linen. 42″ x 36″