sutton071

Trapped, constricted, tied down by societies rules of norm. It is a shared history for many, and depressingly a largely female one. Whilst many men had at least some room for manoeuvre within their lot, some could work their way into different fields, different positions, some could emigrate, start afresh, anew, women could only really change their circumstances under the shadow of another.  The men in their life, whether father, brother, husband, son, often set the parameters of a womans life, and the opportunities, or lack of them. Women had few if any outlets for growth, and were expected to support and compliment the world of the men in their life, that role was rarely reciprocal. I know from the stories in my own family history, as well as that of others, the staggering amount of women, generation after generation after generation, who lived in frustration, angry at the tiny world they were deemed to need. Many of them more sharply aware that they were more talented, more ener...

Today sees the release of Inspirational Plus - man/body/fiber 6 artists/8 questions The artists: Anthony Stevens, Cos Ahmet, James Fox, Joe Lewis, Luke Haynes, Stewart Kelly The questions: Why fiber/textiles and not another discipline? What does it mean to you personally, being a man? What does it mean to you being a man in the fiber/textiles field? How do you think that your gender influences your work as an artist? What do you think that you have brought with you to the fiber/textiles discipline, by being a man? Do you express your gender through fiber/textiles in a general, or more personal level? Would you encourage more men to enter the fiber/textiles world, and if so, why? What next for Ant/Cos/James/Joe/Luke/ Stewart? Inspirational Plus comes in at 76 pages, with 49 full page, full colour photos of artists work. All imagery and all answers to questions are entirely the choice of each artist, nothing has been edited by me. Inspirational Plus can be bought for $6.99, and instantly...

Ian Berry: Journey Home , 2013. Photo credit: courtesy of the artist ianberry.org From workwear to haute couture, historical to contemporary, rebellion to endeavour, a new exhibition opening this August, Love Thy Denim, celebrates the many faces of our beloved denim. This exciting and impressive fashion exhibition will explore the origins and versatility of denim, from its workwear heritage in the Wild West right through to its adoption into mainstream fashion and becoming the fabric of our everyday lives. There will be many key pieces on display, including a jacket and trousers from Vivienne Westwood’s 1991 Cut, Slash and Pull collection, the first time that this ensemble has been out on loan from the Victoria and Albert Museum (the V&A). Among the other exhibition highlights are a Jean Paul Gaultier men’s ensemble on loan from the Fashion Museum Bath, a piece from Maison Margiela’s SS2009 Artisanal Collection, exhibits from British denim revivalists Blackhorse Lane Ateliers and n...

Henry Hussey: Betrayal Henry Hussey: Solidarity British textile artist Henry Hussey works with actress Maxine Peak to inspire Reliquaries  Henry Hussey’s solo show Reliquaries opens at  Gallery 8  in London on Monday 12 July 2016.  Hussey’s work for Reliquaries is drawn from three key inspirations from the artist’s life. His relationship with his father, death and memory, and a growing political awareness. Within the overall works of Reliquaries, there are two other bodies of work, The Last Breath and Locking Horns. Hussey describes the making of such artworks as cathartic in that they deal directly and honestly with the complexities of his familial relationships.  Hussey found out that his father had two families, neither of whom knew of each other, and the anger arising from this informed his work to date.  This inspired the body of work Locking Horns. Henry Hussey: Expulsion Now the artist has chosen to move on from the catalyst of this anger toward...

Plants, flowers, gardens, insects and birds are a rich source of inspiration for artists and designers of all kinds. This beautiful guide demonstrates how to get the most out of your surroundings to create original and unique pieces in textiles. Beginning with a chapter on drawing from nature, the book demonstrates how to use sketchbooks and create mood boards to explore your local environment and landscape. The author demonstrates how to make small pieces such as folding books based on observational drawing and stitch. Moving on to a section on floral inspiration, the author shows how to use plants and flowers in your work, from using stencilled flower motifs as embellishment to printing with plants onto fabric and making simple relief prints. Finally, the Taking Flight chapter demonstrates how to move into three-dimensions and sculptural work with birds and insects made from cloth. Featuring step-by-step projects as well as work from contemporary artists, makers and collaborative gro...

Sheree Dornan: Boro(d) digital print cascade dress It is always wonderful when art takes a broad stroke, when it transfers itself from one designation to another, one discipline to another, one world view to another. To connect art to a place that seems to others to be outside of itself, outside its natural remit, is to really understand art, to understand its central purpose in our lives. Art is not there to be rarified, to be part of an ever accumulating collection, something to be passed on to future generations to maintain and then pass on again. Art is there to be lived, to be part of the now, it is there to be wrapped around the psyche, to be part of the everyday as much as it is of the special. Which is why art and design connections are particularly special. Sheree Dornan: Boro(d) digital print on silk Sheree Dornan: Boro(d) digital print on silk From fine to design doesn't always work of course, there have been many disasters, many half attempts, many ill-considered ones a...

Claire Louise Mather: Springtime , detail Textile artists and nature so often seem to go hand in hand. It is not always the case that textile artists have nature as their primary inspiration, but more often than not you will find the connection there, it is a connection of intent.  There is something about the physicality of textile work that seems to draw artists time and again to the natural world as canvas. Sky, earth, ocean, and all the permutations between, have fascinated and continue to fascinate textile artists.  There are so many interpretations and projections of the natural world, all of which are valid, intriguing, adding always to the burgeoning vocabulary that is contemporary textile art. Claire Louise Mather Claire Louise Mather: Memories of March One of those contemporary textile artists who have the natural world as a central pillar to their creativity, is Claire Louise Mather. Claire uses a combination of photography, collage, and textiles in her work in orde...

Illustration: Tamar Branitzky. Textile art There is a space in textiles, as in other disciplines, where art and design can play an interactive game. The singular subjectivity of fine art and the general practical requirements of design may seem to be poles apart, but anyone who has worked in both fields will know how the two share more than they sometimes wish to admit.  Creative individuals who straddle art and design are actually relatively large in number, I myself have a design degree, as well as fine art training and sensibilities, and find it relatively easy to move between the two, understanding and empathising with the two different outlooks on creativity. The artist and designer Tamar Branitzky is just that, an artist and a designer. Her work straddles the two worlds, with some of her output being aimed specifically at the fine art world, and some specifically at the design world.  Illustration: Tamar Branitzky. BO1 fabric Illustration: Tamar Branitzky. BO1 fabric Int...