3D Textile Artists

Assignment 2 has been submitted so I'm about to launch myself into Part Three - Creating shapes and three-dimensional forms. I have a really positive feeling about this section. I found Part Two very hard going and had several hiatus' from it. It became such a chore and I took procrastination to whole new levels with much of the work.

A couple of the books from the recommended reading list are on their way so I've spent the last few hours wandering around the net looking for work by textile artists that I hoped would give me some kind of inspiration. One of the first who really seemed to strike a chord with me is Jo Deeley. You can find her site here. Some of her more colourful works really catch the eye but I was actually more drawn to her pieces which were one colour. There is one particular piece which I think is wonderful. It is cream and appears to be fleece.

Jo has plaited it in such a way that it reminds me of a sea anemone or coral. There are ridges and curves that flow together so beautifully. The plaits create lighter and darker areas and it cries out to me to touch it. I can imagine it feels soft but rigid along the plaits. Please go to her site and take a look at all of her work, also take some time to check out the galleries where she has exhibited.

Ruth O'Leary

Ruth O'Leary is a textile artist from Sunderland. Her main site is here but she also has a very informative blog where she shows various stages of her work for particular works. I especially like her 'Lava Bowl' which is heavily stitched freehand embroidery that has been moulded into the bowl shape. The colours are perfect together and she has given it the perfect title.


These are just two artists that I have seen today who's work I have loved looking at. I feel so much more optimistic about this module now. I hadn't realised the scope of 3d textile art and I know that I have a LOT more to see.





Image can be found at http://www.jodeeley.com/images/lS6000125.jpg - site accessed 31/01/2012

Linocut Artists

When I started on the linocut/block printing method of printing on fabric, I didn't really know anything about it at all. As I've said in a previous post, the closest thing to it that I had tried was in primary school when we did printing using a halved potato and poster paints. I only saw limitations with this method. After all, it would be cutting a shape, an outline, an image and dipping it in paint (or rolling paint onto it) and pressing it onto fabric. I knew deep down that this wasn't all there was to printing using a stamp or block but I couldn't seem to see past the surface. This is why I find it so important now, to look at the work of artists who use the many different methods to create their work. Listed below are some the artists that I've discovered over the last few months and who's work has helped me to see the potential in lino and block cutting.


Eric Ravilious (1903 - 1942)

Artist, Designer & Illustrator

I first saw Eric Ravilious' work at the Aberdeen Art Gallery last year. It featured work on paper, including his very distinctive watercolour Train Landscape, some of his WWII watercolours and lithographs, and a series of wood engravings. Below is a photo that I took of one of the works on display - a wood engraving of a cockerel.

Photograph taken by Amanda Barnes at Aberdeen Art Gallery November 2012

In 1939 at the outbreak of the 2nd World War, he was appointed an Official War Artist until his death in 1942.

Rachel Newling 

Rachel Newling is an Australian artist who was born in the UK. She has been working with lino cuts since 1980.

Go to her site and look at her portfolio of linocuts. In the section 'Linocuts' take a look at the sub section 'Water' and picture No.5 'Sacred Ibis'. It is beautiful. She has created movement with her cuts, a flow to the ripples that is so realistic. Her attention to detail is amazingly accurate. 

Sherrie York

Sherrie is a Colorado artist who works using the 'Reduction' method of lino cut. The technique is described below and taken from her page.

In a reduction print the artist develops all colors from the same block. For each color pass the artist removes more material from the block. Each color in printed on top of the previous. The artist must print the entire edition as he or she works, because the printable area of the single block is reduced with each pass. 

 You can also see her work on her blog at http://brushandbaren.blogspot.co.uk/ she takes us through her processes and it's amazing to watch her work as it develops.


Another great resourse for print artists (of all methods) is The Norwich Print Fair site which lists an amazing array of talented artists.

New sketches

One of the things I miss the most about traditional cameras, is finding that old roll of film in the back of a draw somewhere. You used to take it to the chemist to be developed and you'd never know what the photos would be of. It could be some years old shot of your parents or a blurry snapshot of a holiday that you'd long forgotten about. Digital cameras are amazing for all their capabilities but they also enable you to delete the blurred photos or the ones with Mum's head cut off. We seem to miss out an element of fun when we upload our digital images and go through them. I try to upload all the images on mine as soon as I've taken them, they all go into a folder and then are deleted from the camera to make room for more. But I rarely delete images if they aren't quite right. I may not use them but they are all there in the folder.

I make it a habit to go through the folder from the start now and again. I nearly always find something that I'd forgotten about, a day or a moment and it's nice to be reminded of them. This happened yesterday, when I stumbled across a photo from last summer, of one of the blooms from our rapidly growing honeysuckle bush. It's right next to the kitchen window and in the summer when it's in full bloom, it smells heavenly. 

The buds are such a deep shade of pink, almost a fuchsia but when they open out they are a soft pink and cream. The honeysuckle flowers attract bumblebees, butterflies and moths while the berries are very popular with bullfinches, warblers and thrushes. 

I tried to recreate the central part of this particular bloom with oil pastels, watercolours, charcoal and coloured pencils. I really like the shape that I have developed from this initial photo and it's been interesting to see how the different colours have affected the finished image. I think my favourite drawing has to be the oil pastel one in the top left hand side of the page. The depth of the red combined with the purple gives it such a vibrancy.

I have started to put more information into my sketches and sketch book, making note of what medium I'm using, obviously but being very careful to note the colour and the number of the shade as well. This was very helpful when I attempted to do two versions of the honeysuckle leaves, in water soluble pencil and coloured pencils. I used the same numbered pencils from both sets but the water soluble pencils (when altered with water) gave a softer and less concentrated colour and texture.

This was applied to the DMC floss card that I put together as well.

There are over 180 species of Honeysuckle and they range from stocky evergreen bushes to vigorous climbers. They are a common species in hedgerows and are a great addition to any wildlife garden. We all know about the rapidly disappearing hedgerows but how many of us actually know about the variety of plants that make a vibrant and living hedgerow? I never even considered that honeysuckle might be one of those plants.

I still don't have a firm idea for my theme book but I'm adding hedgerows to the ever growing list. Think of the textures!

Sketches and a gift

Sketching took a bit of a back seat as the Christmas period was very busy but I did manage to get a few sketches done. I'm trying to add other things to the images along with the sketches, like small scraps of fabric in combinations that might work if I decide to use the sketches as a base for a piece of textile work.

The photograph was taken on the 8th of September as we were driving back from Ythanbank in Aberdeenshire. I always love to see the large round bales on the hills and in the fields and looking back at my sketches, I am surprised that I focused instead on the textures of the trees.

We've recently welcomed a new niece into the family, a little girl born on the 22nd of December who I decided to make something for instead of a store bought card. After several sketches of storks with nappy wrapped babies, I settled on balloons instead. I'm not sure that the colours have been reproduced very well in the photos but it's a watercolour image on heavy watercolour A4 sized paper. I used a mix of water soluble pencils and watercolours. I felt that the pencils gave me a little more control over the depth and range of colours used.

I'm really happy with the finished painting, I'll be adding a label with the baby's details on as I would hate to make a monumental mistake directly onto the image.

I have really enjoyed the last few days working on this, although it has been frustrating at times. I feel a bit of my artistic mojo creeping back.