Senior Nurtures Artistic Side with Centuries-Old Discipline

Atlanta GA

20 July, 2021

2:30 PM

Description

In Gail Rogers' apartment home at Canterbury Court senior living community in Buckhead, the handcrafted silk creations that adorn her walls immediately catch your eye. The rich spectrum of colors is only outdone by the sheer intricacy of the embroidered motifs. Since retiring in 2007, Rogers has studied traditional Japanese silk embroidery, a technique developed over centuries in Japan customarily used on kimonos and obis. About 50 years ago, Master Iwao Saito started to introduce the discipline outside of the apprentice system, where it eventually made its way to the U.S. His daughter and son-in-law and their family founded the Japanese Embroidery Center in Sandy Springs in 1989. Today, Japanese embroidery is seeing a resurgence among fashion designers and in museum displays. "For me, it's an artistic outlet for someone who has no artistic ability," laughed Rogers, who did various needlework when she was younger. "The good thing about it is that it's so gorgeous you can't necessarily tell if someone is average unless you compare them to someone who's really good." The 40-plus stitch techniques are taught through a series of 10 designs or "phases," with classes attracting people from around the world. Rogers says she usually takes 2 or 3 classes per month, with most done virtually the last 16 months. "Each phase takes as long as it takes," she said. "It depends how much time you commit, but typically it's months." Today, Japanese silk embroidery has transitioned from kimonos and obis to more frameable artwork. Designs can be purchased with charts that show suggested colors and proper techniques to use. Rogers has three projects on the go – plus more in what she calls her "stash" – one she's been working on four years. "There's a saying that you can't die until you've completed your stash, so I'll live about another 150 years," she quipped.