Flintstitch Beadwork proudly presents
an all-new original mixed media panel
by Ananda X. Suddath.
Darkest Before Dawn,
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Ananda X. Suddath is an emerging contemporary beadwork artist based in Montreal.
BIO • ARTIST STATEMENT • PORTFOLIO
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Darkest Before Dawn
This work holds the stillness
between standoff and surrender,
release and renewal,
collapse and rebirth.
Shaped like a prayer, it
wishes peace upon its keeper.
Insight does find us
at the end of this stalemate;
there’s a light under which
all our dead ends dissolve.
About
Darkest Before Dawn captures the fraught, fragile moment where someone finds that they have definitively exited one paradigm, but not yet entered the next.
Its completion concludes a 3-year meditation on the profound transformations that reshape us in life’s more challenging seasons.
My most ambitious beaded panel to date, this new work is an expanded, polished final rendering of Je me suis vu / I Saw Myself, a smaller piece I created in 2022.
The older piece’s title was directly taken from a conversation I had with a friend about self-undoings, unforeseen personal growth, and the space between them.
Je me suis vu no longer exists. I fully and deliberately took it apart this past winter, with a plan to carefully weave all of its beads into Darkest Before Dawn. With this project, in a very literal sense, unmaking the old has been key to remaking the new.
For more detail about both pieces and the connection between them, read this in-depth article from Nov. 4, 2024.
Drawing on one of the more common bead embroidery techniques used to make medallions in the Native North American tradition—i.e., 2-needle flat stitch—, Darkest Before Dawn’s majestic 12-inch beaded centerpiece features an intricate original abstract design rendered in a vibrant array of Miyuki seed beads.
The piece’s glossy off-white center gives way to incandescent reds; a luminous splash of 24k gold-finished beads fades to black at the beadwork’s outer edge.
Darkest Before Dawn’s oversized medallion is set against a dramatic black painted background. The striking contrast between the beadwork’s maximalist design and the piece’s minimalist composition makes this an undeniably magnetic, spellbinding work.
Framing
Darkest Before Dawn is framed in solid ash. Equal parts sleek and rustic, this quality Canadian-made frame features a gorgeous blonde hue and delicate satin finish.
Two strands of gold-toned beads are included inside the panel’s back cavity. Taken from Je me suis vu (2022), these were not reinserted into Darkest Before Dawn’s beadwork, as 24k gold-plated beads were preferred for the final work.
A handwritten card is also affixed to the back. Signed and dated, it features the work’s title and the poem seen at the top of this page.
Now available.
DETAILS BELOW.
INQUIRIES: Please contact studio@flintstitch.com.
I look forward to connecting with you!
✧ DETAILS and SPECIFICATIONS
Type of work: mixed media panel · beadwork/acrylic on canvas · cradled wood panel mount
Materials: 11/0 Miyuki seed beads, Pellon felt, gesso, acrylic paint (background), cotton canvas, acrylic medium (canvas adhesive), cradled wood panel.
Dimensions: appliqué width: 12” panel: 24” x 30” x 1 ⅝” · frame: 25” x 31” x 2”
Frame: floater frame · solid ash, natural/undyed, water-based satin finish
Hardware: included and installed
Price: $6,000 CAD*
In-person delivery: available and complimentary for buyers in the greater Montreal area.
Shipping: currently available for Canada only. Buyer covers shipping & insurance – please contact for an estimate.
*Please inquire about payment methods and terms and conditions.
✧ CONTACT INFO and MORE
To inquire about this piece, other available pieces, or commission work, contact me (Ananda) at studio@flintstitch.com.
To stay in touch, find links to my socials and newsletters below!