Bonnie Sennott’s abstract embroidery offers an antidote to the constant noise of social media, news, texts, and emails—coming from screens and devices of all sizes. It also provides a reprieve from the ongoing chatter of our busy minds. The small, meditative works in Noise Antidote invite viewers to slow down, enter a quiet space, and take a break from the noise.

Sennott creates each piece slowly, through a process of improvisation and discovery. The works are embroidered with Valdani pearl cotton thread on linen, which Sennott occasionally dyes with walnuts or oak galls she collects while out in nature. Rather than working from sketches or a fixed plan, she allows each composition to evolve organically. A piece is complete when the accumulation of stitches, shapes, and colors achieves a sense of equilibrium. Equally important to the embroidery are the unworked, negative spaces, which contribute to the feeling of lightness and ease—spaces where the eye can rest and the mind can breathe. 

Originally a painter, Bonnie Sennott turned her focus to embroidery after taking a workshop with textile artist Rebecca Ringquist in 2010. She soon discovered that abstract embroidery was her preferred medium, offering a unique combination of the linearity of drawing with the color and texture of painting. Embroidery also suits her lifestyle, as it can be easily picked up and set down throughout the day. Inspired by Claire Wellesley-Smith’s 2015 book Slow Stitch: Mindful and Contemplative Textile Art, Sennott established a daily practice of meditative stitching. She has completed two yearlong stitch journals: A Year in Thread (2016) and Daily Thread (2019).

Artist Bio

Bonnie Sennott is an artist based in Amherst, Massachusetts. She has exhibited her work in both solo and group exhibitions at notable venues, including the Center for the Arts in Northampton, the Easthampton Center for the Arts Gallery, Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke, and the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center in Vermont. A former member of Kingston Gallery, Sennott holds an MFA from the University of Chicago. Her work is part of private collections in New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and beyond.