Fun in the Yard

Formerly the head of Hunan Embroidery Research Institute, HUANG Cui-Feng and his wife, YANG Jin Hui, founded Wanzhen Embroidery Workshop in the 1980s. Born in the handicraft family of Xiang Embroidery and excelling embroideries of flowers, birds, landscapes, as well as figures and animals, Yang was in charge of embroidery stitches research and production management. Huang was responsible for innovation of the craftsmanship and works of painting and design.

This work is based on Huang’s painting, depicting the carefree fun in life of chicken in a yard behind the bamboo fence in a farmer’s house. With a background of the gorgeous bamboo leaves and the uneven bamboo fence, the rooster stands tall with its head tilted while the hen beneath cares for the foraging chicks. The chicks are presented as roundly puffy and clumsy, while the rooster and the hen are portrayed meticulously in their wings and feather in layers and splendid colors. Also, the brush strokes of the double-curved bamboo leaves laid a great foundation for the application of stitches and textures of embroidery.