I would like to become an embroidery trainer

This work is an embroidered Western Rosella with one wing spread out perched on a branch. Di Ellis's artist statement reads: 'Proverb "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush". I celebrate the beautiful birds I see each day. They bring joy to the day, and brighten a grey winter sky. Parrots are the birds I have chosen for the spotlight as they are not only the clowns of the bird world but they are brightly costumed like the funny folk of the circus. These works combine printmaking (solvent transfer) and embroidery with some hand colouring to give the birds a fitting hue.

Afghan Persian dialect is embroidered on the right hand side of the work, when translated into English it reads; 'I would like to become and embroidery trainer'.

This is one of 43 embroidered handkerchiefs that is a result of the Making Marks: Australia and Afghanistan - Unfolding Projects, an arts exchange project between women artists in Australia and women undertaking literacy and vocational classes at the Organisation of Promoting Afghan Women’s Capabilities (OPAWC) in Kabul.

Artists in Australia worked on the handkerchiefs in a variety of media and then sent them to Afghanistan. Many of the ‘once marked’ on the handkerchiefs reflect the Australian artists’ relationship with, and connection to, place, nature and history. These themes are also reflected in the ‘twice marked’ made by the Afghan women whose relations with, and connections to, their place and their history, resonates through each stitch and informs the hopes and dreams articulated in thread. The handkerchiefs are a simple message of solidarity between two cultures and give a sense of connection and friendship.