Development of an Idea

The photographs below are a piece from my sketch book. It is a series of layers each with different textural qualities.The basy layer is a photograph of a centapied on a large piece of bark. I then machine stitched into this with similar coloured thread. The secound layer is a piece stitched on ina random overlapping pattern onto vanashing fabric. And thr third is of a piece of lace which i have printed a screen print onto the go on to slice down in lengths with scisors. I this this piece works very well as having layers engages the viewer to turn the page al view each piece on its onw and then as a compalation.

Developing Ideas

After a tutorial sesion a couple pf weeks ago with my textiles tutor it was discussed that a theme that was aparant throughout my sketch book was texture. This took my FMP on a totally different path from what I origonally imagined. Upon this information I had started to develop my book with this in mind. My main aim at the begining of this projectwas to create a piece that would make the viewer want to touch and feel it. Taking into consideration all these fact I started working into my sketch book with a range of textures.


Maggie Ayres
One Artist who has influenced my work is Maggie Ayres. She works with mix media and layers to create textural pieces. An extract from her website bolow explains this in more detail.
 "In my artwork I create numerous layers of colour, texture, light and contrast using a mix of media. I am fascinated by the notion of hidden worlds and the points of tension where we can glimpse them momentarily: revelations of truths obscured by convention; the point when a flower unfurls to expose a world of seeds and possibilities within; glancing through a window to reveal another's reality."

I think this passage really links in with the work I've been doing in my sketch book  looking at decay, debris and decomposition.The photograph is a mixed media piece using items such as pva glue weaved material and pigment ink. Tish piece reminds me of Maggie Ayers work as there are many layers and simalaraties in colours. I think this piece works well on its own but would be more sucessful as a set.

Evaluation

Throughout this project I believe I have gained a huge amount of knowledge and feel I have developed my textiles skills. At the start of this course I felt I was under qualified concerning my knowledge of textiles methods and techniques. This course has benefited me hugely when we went onto our specific pathways. Through extensive research and experimentation I choose to create an installation for my final piece. As stated in my proposal I wanted to create a different perception of what viewing art was as an experience. There has been a running theme throughout my sketchbooks which was texture, therefore I wanted to continue this onto my fmp in order to create a connection between them all.

I feel overall my fmp has both weaknesses and strengths and as a separate piece my instillation was very successful. There was a number of problems I had to overcome whilst constructing my piece. I was allocated a booth next to a window, the first problem I had to solve was covering the window in order for a limited amount of light to be let through. There were other problems I had to solve e.g. what material to use to fix up my strips of material, getting hold of some bark chippings to place on the floor. During the opening night of the exhibition I was given positive feedback from members of the public which reinsured me that my installation has worked successfully.

Over all I believe that this project has been very successful not just on the grounds of my final piece and sketch books being successful but because I have found a subject matter that I am really passionate about. Taking into consideration my time scale I do believe I could have produce a wider range of samples, But feel the work I have done is of a high standard and of superior quality to my previous work

Bibliography

Bibliography

Author

Title

Publisher

Date published

ISBN number

Barton, Julia

The Art Of Embroidery

Merehurst Press

1989

1-85391-016-3

Russell, Alex

The Fundamentals of Printed Textile Design

AVA Publishing SA

978-2-940411-47-4

Cork, Richard

Farthing, Stephen

Art the whole story

Thames & Hudson

2010

　

Websites

www.alicekettle.com

www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern

www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/
http://www.vam.ac.uk/

project proposal

Throughout my academic year I have completed projects including an assemblage project leading to a series of paintings in a variety of media, then developing this into a particular pathway e.g. textiles, 3D, fine art. Then using the title, Grids, Layers and Reflections I then developed a body of work which was influenced strongly by textiles. I have gained the strength to work individually and to develop my own ideas. I have also developed my skills and my work is now more complex and sophisticated. I feel that my weaknesses are limited contextual knowledge and the ability to evaluate my own work I’m particularly interested in surface pattern and applied textiles rather than fashion. My ambition is to teach at GCSE level or above. The reasoning for this is I want to teach the people that show a passion for this subject and that are really keen on learning new textile methods and techniques

Using decay, debris and decomposition as my starting point I intend to investigate the properties and potential of this title, also the ways in which established artists and designers have used this subject matter in a variety of different ways. Some ways in which I could explore my theme are using textile techniques such as felting and embroidery to create a body of work in which texture is portrayed through my choice of material and media. I also intend to investigate layers as another title. For this I will be exploring the effects of layering material, looking at what can be produced by layering different pieces of work upon each other. My aim is to change the viewer’s perception on what ‘viewing art’ as an experience can be. My visual sources will include both primary and secondary images and text. I am influenced by the environment around us and the natural form of a wide variety of objects. Some Artists I intend to research are Alice Kettle for her use with textile material and embroidery. Cas Holmes is another textile artist whose work I like because of the range of textures and transparent materials she uses. My secondary research will consist of a range of websites and books and magazine articles. My primary research will include photographs, sketches, paintings and drawings. Putting all these ideas and points together I hope to create a body of work and a final piece using mixed media and textiles.

I intend to advance my project by developing a body of work that shows my final major project from the starting point to putting up a show at the end of the year. Throughout my final major project I will be evaluating my ideas, research and processes by an ongoing self evaluation. This will be in the form of written notes of annotation. I will also be asking my peers and tutors to evaluate my work, as this will result in none bias opinions.

Jill Flower

www.jillflower.com 
website visited on 15/05/12

As I have started to include text in my work and am starting to manipulate paper and a range of materials/media to develop experimentation pieces therefore I thought this artist would be appropriate to research.

Jill Flower is a textiles artist who has a very keen interest in stitched textiles.She also is currently working with recycled papers and stitch. One piece that has grabbed my attention is Modern Woman III. I like the way Jill Flowers has manipulates paper into a certain shape by using stitched, and the way she combines text with her work in a subtle but striking way.



Passage below taken from -->click here.
The work explores edges and finishes. Its a witty concept following the progression and changes of our reading interests within a lifetime, creating a ‘Circle of Life’. It is a contemporary interpretation of Shakespeare’s words about the’ seven ages of man’ from ‘As You Like It’ Recycled Papers are deconstructed and reconstructed, stitched and washed exposing relevant printed matter. Resulting in a crusty lacy finish fashioned to be reminiscent of the flamboyant Elizabethan ruffs.

 The picture above is a section of the larger piece. This section relates to my work as looking at the text it has the perception of being distorted. I also really like the use of thread incorporated with the text and the simple colour pallet used.

Michael Brennand-Wood

www.brennand-wood.com   
Viewed the website above on 15/05/12

Michael is a textiles artist who techniques include, embroidery, pattern, lace and recently floral imagery.He first came to my attention when a tutor suggested I look at his work. Upon doing this I have found that the similarities between our work are we both use layers of mixed media to create 3D and textural pieces.

 I also get the impression that he also likes to involve the viewer in his work by giving his pieces audience interaction qualities. This is a vital part of my FMP as I was the audience to interact with my final pieces which will hopefully result in unique style of viewing art as a leisure activity.

I could use the pieces pictured below as inspiration for my work by using the idea of layering stitched and embroidery pieces on top of one and other leaving windows to give the piece as a whole more depth and leading the viewers eyes deeper into the piece.

'Skeleton Key' 110 x 110 x 4 cm, 1997.
Private Collection UK.

'Silk Road' 90 x 85 x 4 cm, 1999.
Private Collection UK.

'Charlemagne' 35 x 35 x 4 cm, 1978.
Collection of the artist.

Jeanette Appleton

Jeanette Appleton is a textiles artist who uses the felting method to create textural pieces. I have also seen the use of text in her work and believe this would be a good element I could take forward and use in some of my pieces.
I really like the way in which she manipulates the material she's working with to create interesting pieces.

Alice Kettle

Alice Kettle-Textiles Artist.     www.alicekettle.co.uk

Alice kettle is a textiles Artist well know for her use of hand and machine embroidery. Her pieces are often on a large scale. These are the reasons I have chose to look at her work. Like her I want my final piece to be a large scale and include element of both hand and machine embroidery.















I have sent an email request ion more information on what inspires her work and how her pieces develop. I and am currently waiting for it to be approved and see if i get a reply.

A piece that has gabbed my attention is ("Pairings II Conversations and Collaborations is a simple thought; to celebrate uniqueness and togetherness. The intention is to celebrate making and makers and engage with another to learn and understand more." www.Alice Kettle.co.uk) I like the way the Artists has used found material and collaborated that with elements of textiles.

Using New Methods

During a sessions at college I was shown a technique by one of my tutors that involved transferring a photocopied image onto acetate and then taking this image and projecting it across a table using and overhead projector. This method has enabled me to enlarge the image and also create interesting and abstract patterns.

A pattern formation using my acetate photograph.

The photograph above was created using a thin wooden stick and simply tracing over the fine detail of the image that was being projected over the table. I did this as I wanted to get a feel for drawing all the intricate lines and marks on the tree bark. I then went on to develop this idea further.

My piece developed further.

This particular piece was created using the same method as the top piece but instead of leaving it plain I wanted to give this piece more layers and textures. I have used material and thread of similar colours to the bark and leaves of a tree to establish a link between my subject matter and my own art piece. I think this works well as it gives the piece more of a textural feel rather than a flat piece. I then decided to cover the whole piece in sellotape, I did this as i wanted the viewer to feel curious of what the piece felt like to touch and fee and also upon feeling the piece the noises that develop through touch.

Further Experimentation

Further development of one of my pieces

Here I have started to develop one of my sketch book pages, the first thing I did was to take a piece of the dried pva glue and cut out a square window from my book. I did this as I wanted to be able to see the transparency of the glue and also the two different sides of the piece. I've started to work into this piece by stitching strips of different material onto the top. This piece could be further improved by more layers and also a few contrasting colours over the top work with the green and brown tones in the background.

Experimentation

After taking a group of photographs, my aim was to experiment in a wide range on different materials to create a series of mix media piece. 

Materials used were:

• pva glue
• cling film
• tissue
• ink
• string
• silk
• paint
• text pages from a book
• woven material
• graph paper

My aim with these pieces were to capture the contrast between rough and smooth, thin and thick, transparent and opaque. My next step is to combine these pieces with a range of textiles materials to create more layers. I also intend to investigate the possibility of using descriptive language and text with my work.

 

Texture/Decay Photographs

These are a selection of photographs I have taken over the holiday. I hope to capture the way in which time effects the natural objects we see around us every day. I think I achieved my aim as in these picture you can see a wide variety of layers, colours and textures.

Textile Research.

After the advice from my pitch one task I have set myself is to find some Textile Artists that I like and could influence my work. I will also look at Artists that use elements that I want my work to contain.
The thing I am looking for are:

• Rich colours
• Textured pieces
• Use of range of materials e.g wide range of fabrics.
• Use of different methods e.g. felting painting embroidery. 
• Subject matter, skulls, found items, textured items.

Alison King- First website I found this Artist on.

Trapped in the peat

"I am looking at the abandoned peat workings and how the distinctive layers trap remnants of past lives -skeletal, ferrous, fibrous. I am fascinated ,not only by the rich colours and texture of the peat but also its historical importance to a past way of life when it provided a source of warmth to an impoverished community." Taken from the website linked above, this section of the text grabbed my attention as she mentions items of past lives that have been trapped. This interests me as one focus of my project is skeletal remains and items that have ended up in a certain place as a result of time. Alison King works in a range of methods from stitching to felting and from painting to dying fabric, this is one of the many reasons her work appeals to me. I also like the way she works with really rich colours.

Pitch Feedback

Once I had completed my pitch the tutors gave me some points for me to focus on and take into consideration how they might help me.

• Explore many pathways e.g.moving image, textiles 3D
• Incorporate all these pathways as one and think about the possibility of creating a mix media piece.
• Don't be afraid to explore contextual research from other pathways. e.g. research art its that use light/sound.
• Research a lot more into the textile field more and the method available to you.

to make these point valid I intent to focus for a while on contextual textile research. I am hoping this will give me more starting points for my work to develop and will also help me understand in greater depth the field I want to study in.

Pitch Idea Three

After a discussion withh a different tutor I have decided to inclued a third idea and it was discussed that there was always a current theme running through out my book. This was textural paintings and surface textures. To manipulate this idea to adapt to my inital theme I came up with the idea of Time/Debris Decay and Decompose.

As this Idea was only thought of a few days ago I have been unable to create any experimentation work but I have been able to take some photographs which fit into the three catogories above.




My mind map.



A page from my journal that
notes the advice from my tutor.

Below are the set of photographs I have taken with my three words in mind.

To develop this idea further I colud take these photographs into textiles by using a wide range of materials and methods to create textural pieces.

• Burning paper
• Using the heat gun to create different effects on different materials
• Felting
• Weaving using a range of materials and/or found objects
• Wax