Book Review - 3D Mixed Media Textile Art by Textileartist.org

As an aspiring artist at the beginning of my journey I have a forensic fascination with how established artist got to be where they are. So an initial flick through my review copy of 3D Mixed Media Textile Art by Textileartist.org shows headings that really resonate with me.

First, a table of contents that lists a superb cohort of textile artists such as Sian Martin, Gizella K Warburton and Karen Nicol. But most importantly each chapter is divided into:

• 'Beginnings'
• 'Inspiration' 
• 'Process and Practice'

Those are exactly the questions I want to hear answers for from artists I admire.

Beginnings

Right now what I don't want is thematic essays on art perspectives I didn't even know existed. I want the nuts and bolts of how and why. I also want to be seduced by stories of running away to Paris after art school in the 60s and making a spectacular career as Karen Nicol did.

Jean Draper detail of Aftermath from 3d mixed media textile art © Textileartist.org

I was amused by Jean Draper's beginnings because they are diametrically opposed to mine.

"A lack of aptitude in Latin... meant that Jean was demoted to the B stream. What might have originally been perceived as a knock was actually a blessing, as it enabled her to take Needlework as a GCE subject and so influenced a lifetime's work."

At my school Latin was pitched against Needlework when the time came to choose, and I not only had a natural aptitude for foreign languages (alive or dead) but was assured by well-meaning parents that "I could draw any time." And so was influenced into a lifetime of office work!

Inspiration

Hearing about artists' inspirations validates themes I might be interested in pursuing. Landscape, architecture, birds, memory. It makes it OK to be interested in minute subjects. This is where the artist communicates.

I have some themes that keep coming to stay: what happens to people's stories after they die. My father recently passed away. What will happen to his stories? Like the time he shook hands with Emperor Haile Selassie or escaped an African revolution in the clothes he was wearing. What will happen to my stories?

This is also the scary part isn't it? The part where you give of yourself. Jean Draper is haunted by a devastating wildfire. Faig draws inspiration from society and tradition in his rugs.

Faig Ahmed details of Tradition in Pixel and Flood of yellow weight from 3D mixed media textile art © Textileartist.org

Some inspirations, though, I can't say I understand. Like June Lee's intrigue with "the idea of prejudice and the difference in values and standards between oneself and..." I just trail off at those inspirations. They sound too much like that Art Statement Generator. Plus I don't see how her work actually embodies her statement. I feel alienated. Silk heads, do I like them? Could I do it? No and no. But I understand that this is what June Lee needs to do to communicate something from inside herself.

June Lee detail of Bystander from 3D mixed media textile art © Textileartist.org

Faig's take on Persian carpets is of particular interest to me as I grew up in the Far East and the homes I've lived in have been full of these kinds of carpets. Or rather, not these kinds at all, Faig's rugs are humorous and poignant.

One of the most interesting parts of revealing artist's inspirations is when they speak about other artists or people that have influenced them. It has widened my world to new people like Magdalena Abakanowicz or Mark Newport.

Process & Practice

Because I'm unashamedly at the imitation stage of my journey, finding my feet, it's really helpful to have blow-by-blow explanations of how work is actually done. I like to know whether sketchbooks are used, when computers come into play, how much primary observation is done. This is gold dust to the newbie. This book is brimming with explanation on that front.

The photography in 3D Mixed Media Textile Art is really good quality and nicely close up so you can scritinise the details that catch your attention. The landscape orientation of the book means that the images breathe and there is no 'spine' (if such a thing exists electronically) awkwardly splitting them in two.

Conclusion

What is this 'being an artist' thing? It's needing to say something about your world or your life. It's "a lifestyle" according to Faig. I'm not there yet, by a long chalk, but I see it in the artists in this book and I look forward to reaching it.

I'm starting to imagine what I would write for my beginning, inspiration and process. I know the beginning bit, and my inspiration is taking shape - thanks to being introduced to lots of new artist as in this book. As to process, well, I have a long way to go.

Review - A Stitch in Time: A Day of Embroidery at the British Library - 6 June 2015

I went to a great day-long event at the British Library themed around the new art work by Cornelia Parker: Magna Carta (An Embroidery).

"Fabricated by many hands, from prisoners and lawyers to artists and barons, Magna Carta (An Embroidery) replicates in stitch the entire Wikipedia article on the Great Charter as it appeared on the document’s 799th anniversary in 2014" (www.bl.uk/events/cornelia-parker-magna-carta-an-embroidery)

The piece itself was really impressive but more of that later. First to the event on the 6th of June 2015 called A Stitch in Time: A Day of Embroidery.

Karen Nicol

I have to jump to my immediate excitement at having met Karen Nicol who had a stand and was showing her famous sample 'sketchbook'. It is literally a set of A2-sized fabric 'pages' onto which she loosely pins a movable feast of her latest samples.

Karen Nicol's 'sketchbook'

She explains this all very well in this Embroiderer's Guild video. Also in this justhandson.tv video. I got to see her resin raindrops in 'the flesh'.

She also had many of her Lace series on show and it was priceless to be able to see them close up and touch and feel and look at the back. Above all she was very generous with her time, explaining some of her techniques and she literally talked me through every single page of her samples.

I really admire how she pushes the boundaries of surface creation. She said she sees things and wonders how she could replicate them in materials and then just experiments. Namely the resin raindrops (see videos above) and plastic bags cut into glistening fringes, the stuff magpies like me flock to. The other thing I really noticed is how often she pushes scale to extremes, for instance fly stitch and French knots with thick ribbon.

Her pieces are playful and humorous and make you wonder what goes on in her mind and how much fun she must have. Each one is also a lesson in textiles imagineering.

Jacky Puzey

I also spent a long while chatting with Jacky Puzey who demoed the digital embroidery programme she uses. Her work is really striking and her current theme is centred on tattoos.

Raven included real feathers and the scale of it (about 4' high) makes it a remarkable piece. I loved the textures and colour in her Shade suits too.

Raven by Jacky Puzey

Cushion cover with tattoo theme by Jacky Puzey

She is also a great example of being a good businesswoman as well as an artist. She detected a gap in the need for digital embroidery processes, especially for students leaving college and not yet set up with the expensive equipment.

Several other textile artists had stands including Adriana Tavares, a rug designer, and Jess de Wahls whose pieces I find disturbing (not being a fan of dolls, which they resemble) but she is an interesting artist.

Workshops

There was a wide variety of free and inexpensive workshops. You could be part of the over 7,000 people from all over the world who have contributed to the World’s Longest Embroidery.

The World’s Longest Embroidery - the Guinness World Record-breaking embroidery from The Embroiderers’ Guild

The World’s Longest Embroidery shown hanging in loops from the ceiling above the day's goings-on

In the Stitch a Word workshop run by the Embroiderers' Guild you learnt basic stitches to replicate words from the Magna Carta.

My satin stitch had an independent mind of its own

A tip for perfect Satin stitch is to run a Split stitch all along the border/edges of the intended piece (a bit tricky on the one above as it was so small) then do your Satin stitch around this stitched border, angling your needle around the thread. I will try that out on a piece I'm working on and show you results.

I also took Blackwork and Goldwork tutorials run by the Royal School of Needlework and by Hand & Lock respectively.

Blackwork: the exemplar on the left, the reality on the right. I have discovered that I don't mind counting at all, it's quite therapeutic

I was introduced to the renowned method of unstranding your thread and rejoining the strands. And no licking the ends to get them through the eye of the needle!

My Goldwork effort: I angled my gold in the wrong direction and the borders were a bit scrappy but all in all I'm not unhappy with it

Magna Carta

Back to Cornelia Parker. The embroidered wiki page about the Magna Carta was impressive in scale and I loved being able to see some of the back via mirrors set up underneath it.

Cornelia Parker: Magna Carta (An Embroidery)

Detail of Cornelia Parker: Magna Carta (An Embroidery) showing, top, an 'image' stitched by Anthea Godfrey of the Embroiderers’ Guild.

One of the 'images' was stitched by Anthea Godfrey of the Embroiderers’ Guild. She said it took her 450 hours using techniques from the C16th. The image above (as well as the one taken for the Guardian article, top of the page) doesn't begin to do it the least justice; it was glistening with gold.

The exhibition is on until the 24th of July 2015.