Rya Priede
Think of this as embroidery, with a twist. A lifelong love of sewing and textiles—passed down from a mother who sewed professionally—forms the foundation of this Minneapolis-based artist's work. Now a picture framer with a home studio, she brings that sensibility to a unique blend of image, text, and thread.
Several years ago, she discovered the Big Little Book series—small, 3x3-inch children’s books published from the 1930s to the 1960s. She was drawn to both the illustrations and the story captions, which—when taken out of context and viewed through a feminist lens—become unexpectedly witty, sometimes subversive, and always smile-inducing. Each book page is scanned, enlarged, and mounted on linen to create a strong enough surface for embroidery.
And here’s a little secret: the backs are just as fun as the fronts. With the illustration removed, what remains is soft, colorful thread on neutral linen—a quiet, abstract record of the sewing itself.
Brenda Was Annoyed
35h×31w inches, framed
Seems Incredible
19h×16w, framed
Call to Myra
19h×16w, framed
I’m Not Giving Up
52h×42w inches, framed print
17h×13w inches, print only
Everything Is Fine
17h×13w, print
Listening in Disbelief
17h×13w, print
My Shoes
17h×13w, print
Peggy Wanted to Be a Singer
17h×13w inches, print
Dark Glasses
17h×13w inches, print
The Excitement Is Too Much
17h×13w inches, print
Unexpected Phone Call
17h×13w inches, print
Friends
17h×13w inches, print
What’s Troubling You?
17h×13w inches, print
“Ugh”
17h×13w inches, print
“What’ll We Do Now?”
17h×13w inches, print