Primavera

Primavera—Italian for “Spring”—was born from a longing for renewal. I began stitching it during a quiet stretch of time when I was trying to come back to myself. What emerged over the course of 210 hours was more than a necklace—it became a reflection of that process.

This piece is full of color and life. Each bead, each petal, each butterfly is hand-stitched using a mix of bead weaving and embroidery techniques. I didn’t rush it. I couldn’t. The work asked me to slow down, to be present with every detail. There’s something meditative about building a garden bead by bead—watching it bloom right under your fingers.

The imagery carries meaning for me: the greens speak of new growth, the flowers of becoming, and the butterfly—a quiet center in the chaos—reminds me that transformation often happens quietly, after long seasons of stillness.

What I love most about Primavera is its texture. Some elements rise from the surface while others tuck themselves in. It invites touch, invites closeness. I like to think that those who see it might feel something stir—not just admiration, but maybe a sense of recognition. Of having come through something and still being able to bloom.

It’s not perfect, but it’s intentional. Every component was stitched on its own before being joined to the rest, and that’s how I felt too—piecing myself back together in small, deliberate steps. The finished work holds all of that: the time, the tenderness, the stubborn hope.

Whether it’s worn or simply witnessed, Primavera is a reminder. That we can begin again. That color always returns. That there’s beauty in taking the long way back to yourself.

Primavera will be on exhibition in September at Katzen Art Center in Washington DC, as part of Lenny Campello’s Women Artists of the DMV exhibition.

©Naan Pocen 2025.