Page 34 - The Digital Cloth Issue 6
P. 34

When I was growing up, I never thought of myself
       as being artistic.  At school, my only memorable,
       positive experience in art, involved a soldering iron
       and wire sculpture.  My experience in textiles was

       just as bad, as I struggled with hand embroidery
       using thick, red cotton on a bright blue cookery
       apron.   I relished being outdoors, playing sport,
       going hiking and camping.  Staying true to myself
       and my skills set, I graduated as a teacher of
       Physical Education and Mathematics. With this
       background, it seems very unlikely that I have now
       been working as a textile artist for nearly thirty
       years.



       Over this period of time, I have found myself
       seeking an evolution in my work.  A desire not to
       stay static, but a longing to move in new directions,
       experiment, create new bodies of work, and find
       my own voice.  This hasn’t been a smooth journey
       as I have struggled to master techniques, learn
       the principles of colour and design and be brave
       enough to push the boundaries.




                                                                        Over time, artists tend to develop their                                                                                  When you travel a short or longer
                                                                        own style.  This growth as an artist is                                                                                   distance down the abstract path, the
                                                                        not easy.  The transition is not                                                                                          sky is the limit.
                                                                        always smooth, but it is something                                                                                        And talking of sky, that is probably
                                                                        fluid that ebbs and flows.  My own                                                                                        the key area that I have explored and
                                                                        journey started with realistic                                                                                            manipulated to make it a feature of

                                                                        landscape, then a move into abstract                                                                                      my work.
                                                                        as I concentrated on pattern and shape.                                                                                   There is nothing more thrilling and
                                                                        Now I am combining the two,                                                                                               visually stimulating than watching a
                                                                        experimenting with my own style of                                                                                        spectacular sunset over the ocean.
                                                                        abstract landscape.                                                                                                       Then there is the dramatic sky
                                                                                                                                                                                                   heralding an impending storm, or
                                                                        The relationship between realistic and                                                                                    the sun low in the sky, magically
                                                                        abstract is a continuum, and many                                                                                         lighting up the landscape below.
                                                                        successful artists retain some of the

                                                                        realistic elements while discarding and                                                                                   The sky has the potential to be the
                                                                        playing around with others.  When you                                                                                     most exciting element to energise
                                                                        are not limited to a literal image, I                                                                                     and enhance any landscape.  Its
                                                                        believe the important thing is to still                                                                                   endless capacity for change makes it
                                                                        retain the essence of your subject.                                                                                       the most flexible, compositional tool
                                                                        When you are restricted to a literal                                                                                      in your design box. Whatever colour
                                                                        image, you work hard at producing a                                                                                       palette or textures you choose, I
                                                                        detailed three- dimensional design.                                                                                       have found that when you place the
                                                                                                                                                                                                  sky fabric in the position of the sky
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