By Darrell Halen
 

Should you be lucky enough to talk “bunka” with Dottie Beal, don’t feel the need to cover the ears of nearby children. Contrary to the slang sound of its name, bunka is a wonderfully expressive art form that Dottie explains is “like stitching brush strokes of color.”

Bunka is the Japanese name for a style of embroidery – painting with thread, so to speak. Using a special punch needle to meticulously pull rayon threads through a preprinted canvas, the resulting artwork is unparalleled in depth and color. As serene as the landscape from which it hails, this precise and pictorial art form is finding roots in this country, with Salem’s Beal showcasing the craft in an exhibit at Derry Public Library.

Beal discovered this style of embroidery six years ago when she watched a demonstration by the woman who would later become her mentor in the technique.

“I had done many types of crafts before but never anything as beautiful as bunka,” she said. “I took to it readily, though one canvas, a scene with a wolf, took a full year for me to complete.”

Subject matter is as varied as the artists engaged in the craft, and Beal finds herself working on a range of imagery.

“Every picture is a learning process for new techniques of adding depth and dimension to the scene,” Beals said.

By varying the pull of intricately dyed rayon fibers, the illusion of depth is added to a two-dimensional art form. Light plays on carefully laid threads with the effect of blended shadows and highlights created within the image, resulting in a three-dimensional effect. The finished product is a stunning yet simple piece of art that invites closer scrutiny to understand the play of light.

The Derry Public Library is featuring selected works by Beal through the month of January. The wolf picture is displayed along with audience favorites: a Japanese waterfall, a winter scene and samurai.

Flowers are a natural subject matter for this detailed technique, and their bright palettes offer a refreshing burst of color to the monochromatic surroundings this time of year.

Beal is headed to Memphis, Tenn., this summer for the national tournament of talent or seminar, as it’s known in the bunka world. She has been perfecting her art and methods for six years now, and her pieces are safely matted and framed behind glass. She’s excited about the trip down south and the opportunity to meet artists from all over the country and to view other styles and methods of this art form. She will compete based on her experience level and length of time doing bunka and would be thrilled to place in her category at this prestigious event, she said.

Awards are icing on the cake, but it is the process of creating that Beal enjoys so much. Give her a good light source and a quiet space in the day, and she is content to sit for a while and make her magic.

“Bunka is therapy for me,” she said.