Needlepoint Display At Port Authority Bus Terminal Showcases Artistry Of Popular Pastime
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A new art exhibit features the work of a master at needlepoint, and with "Sew Much To Say," it's catching the eye of commuters on the go.
Artist Kevin Lustik prefers thread to paint and needle to brush. He started quilting back when he was in college, but it is needlepoint that stuck.
"I just did a few stitches and I thought, I'm hooked," he told CBS2's Dave Carlin.
His work, on display inside Port Authority Bus Terminal through the end of January, is original and whimsical.
On some pieces, the fabric pops out of the frame, and Lustik says he'll turn pieces "upside down and inside out."
With many of his pieces, look closely to find the creative touches he has added. One piece shows a subway map of New York City, but the yarn and the needle remain in the corner.
"Because New York will never be finished. We're a work in progress," he said.
"In a lot of your work, you put a message in there. Tell me about that," Carlin said.
"I am worried about climate change, so I created a seven-day forecast that gpes from blistering cold to extreme heat," he said.
Discussing another piece, he said, "I wanted a piece where yarn is connecting two pieces so it's in between, and I thought what needs connection? I thought the Democrats and Republicans ... I'll see people looking at my work. And that's so flattering to see someone studying your work."
"It's different. It's not something that I've seen before," Birmingham resident Becky Davies said.
This exhibit is turning heads as needlepoint grows in popularity for people of all ages.
"It takes your mind away," East Harlem resident Veronica Velez said.
Rudy Saunders, of the Upper East Side, teaches needlepoint, and his online and in-person classes keep getting bigger.
"There has been a real resurgence in needlepoint," he said.
He says it helps him feel calm and balanced.
"During the pandemic, it's such a relaxing pastime for me," Saunders said.
Lustik says each of his needlepoint works takes up to a month to complete.
It's an art and a craft, and those who practice it like to say a stitch in time will save your sanity.
