Interpreting Themes in Textile Art E-Book

Els van Baarle

• Herausgeber: Batsford
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Seitenzahl: 116

Beschreibung

An inspirational and practical book on how to interpret and collaborate on different themes in textile art. With foreword by Marie-Therese Wisniowski, who runs Art Quill Studio.This stunning collection showcases the work produced by renowned textile artists Els van Baarle and Cherilyn Martin, and explores how – even when working from the same starting point – textile art can produce a myriad interpretations of shape, form, colour and technique. Els and Cherilyn have chosen six themes for their own starting point, each full of inspiration and artistic potential: Memory (both personal experiences and historical events); Graven (cemetery) images and idols; Books as objects; Pompeii and archaeological excavations; Walls; and Everyday items.For each of the themes the authors have provided a personal interpretation of the work and a description of the techniques they used, along with step-by-step instructions. In the chapter on memory, for example, Cherilyn demonstrates how old fabrics and textiles (which themselves have a unique history all of their own) can be recycled to incorporate your own stitched drawings. Alternatively, Els explores Procion Dye techniques to create colourful and striking fabrics that bear no resemblance to Els work on the same theme.The trend for collaborative textile art is increasing in popularity. This fascinating guide provides a rich seam of inspiration from two renowned artists, exploring how to get the most from your collaborations and produce beautiful and unique work.

Leseprobe

INTERPRETING THEMESIN TEXTILE ART

Els van Baarle and Cherilyn Martin

Contents

Foreword

Complementary yet Individual

Introduction

1.   The Creative Process

2.   Graven Images

3.   Walls

4.   Pompeii

5.   Yesterday is History

6.   Book as Object

7.   Articles in Everyday Use

Materials

Suppliers

Further Reading

Index

Foreword

The fibre art of Els van Baarle (NL) and Cherilyn Martin (UK/NL) spans more than two and a half decades and it represents a love affair with colour, images and textures on cloth, paper and other mixed media. Both have their own signature styles but when they co-exhibit, there is a natural synergy between their works that is evident – each individual envisions a conceptual theme that complements the artwork of the other arist.

I had known of Els’s and Cherilyn’s art practice for many years. In 2009 I met Els when she was a participating artist in the exhibition that I curated, ‘ArtCloth: Engaging New Visions’, which toured Australia until 2011. In September of 2011 I was delighted to meet both Els and Cherilyn who, along with myself, were workshop tutors at a five-day textile/fibre conference, ‘Cloth Arts @ Hunters Hill, Sydney’, organised by Glenys Mann of Fibre Arts Australia. Our paths crossed once again in October 2014 when I opened the exhibition, ‘Memory Cloth – Rememberings in Textile’ by four internationally renowned textile artists – Els van Baarle, Cherilyn Martin, Cas Holmes and Glenys Mann at the Museum de Kantfabriek in Horst, the Netherlands. Els and Cherilyn have exhibited and given workshops in Europe, North America and Australasia, so they are well known across a myriad of artistic landscapes. Art-making as well as informing and teaching the current and next generation of artistic practitioners ensures that the techniques they have mastered and the concepts that they have explored will linger beyond their own generation.

Art can be created out of ignorance and by chance, but this book aims far higher. It aims to link your life experiences, your knowledge, your exploration of language, myths, cultures, symbols and motifs to your ability using fibre, and by fibre, I am using the broadest definition possible – from cloth to paper to thread. Of course, in the process, colour and texture are an integral part of the development of a concept.

You need to be aware of all the rules and so the first chapter gives you a comprehensive compositional and optical road map, not to inhibit your creative processes but rather to make you conscious of which rule(s) you choose to break. To get the effect you have to know the cause! Imagery on fibre can be made incredibly smooth and flat, as were the painted and printed images created by Pop Artists such as Roy Lichtenstein in Drowning Girl (1963). On the other hand, fibre art can have texture, which gives it an extra dimensionality. Chapter 2 is inspired by inscriptions and gravestone imagery and explores this dimensionality from the rubbing process to embroidery, and the use of crayons and transfer paints. The fascination with images, typography and the texture that exposed walls offer has been with us since the dawn of time, from the huntsman’s marks made on cave walls, to drawings and obscenities carved on clay found in the excavations of Pompeii, to modern-day graffiti and the urban, architectural landscapes that surround us. Both artists give valuable insights into their own personal interpretations and working methodologies, which incorporate these themes in Chapter 3. Chapter 3’s fascination is continued with the walls of Pompeii in Chapter 4, where it is placed in a historical and cultural setting. Although the voices of the dead can no longer be heard, their endeavours – such as their architecture, the way they lived, how they decorated, and their cultural mores – enables a themed artistic exploration in today’s world using techniques and ideas in fibre art. Life experiences play an important part in pursuing artistic endeavours. Can you project artistically ‘grief’ because of a loss, or wondrous excitement because of a birth? Memory plays a part in interpreting these emotional responses as we all accumulate personalised, unique imagery, experiences and sensations during our lifetimes. Preserving memory when it comes to artistic translation can be difficult. Chapter 5 gives two in-depth perspectives on how our sensory track can be mastered to create rich visual stories about personal memories. Books may be becoming electronic but their soul lies within fibre and not in a projected computer language. The smell of the binder, the texture of the paper and the visual concept that unfolds before us, makes us want to see, feel and read and so know the art form. Chapter 6 gives practical insights with respect to technique in order to make a three-dimensional, readable and viewable art form. Art can be made from found objects and everyday materials. For example, El Anatsui is an African artist who works with repurposed materials including wood, aluminium printing plates, tin boxes and liquor bottle tops. Chapter 7 explores the use of common found objects and how they can be incorporated into fibre artworks employing numerous surface-design techniques and concepts.

This book is special since it gives practical insights into creating complex imagery and texture using a large range of fibre material. The authors want to arouse your curiosity, and engage you in an artistic conversation where you, the reader, will understand what concepts and techniques in fibre art will work for your artistic expression. Sure you need to know the fundamentals, but in learning and exploring your art using this book you have fun as well!

I know you will enjoy this book as much as I have.

Marie-Therese Wisniowski

Studio Artist and Founder of Art Quill Studio and Art Quill & Co. Pty. Ltd.

Former Co-Editor Textile Fibre Forum art magazine

Casual Lecturer, Faculty of Education and Arts, The University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Complementary yet individual

Throughout the centuries there has been interaction between artists. Mutual respect, interest and admiration for other artists’ work has a positive effect. It becomes even more interesting when the themes they choose to work in parallel on a shared theme.

Two textile artists, Els van Baarle (NL) and Cherilyn Martin (UK/NL), met more than twenty-five years ago. Although they both have an individual approach to their work, a special bond was forged between them, fuelled by their intense interest in the same topics: the past, the passage of time, ancient cultures and marks left by Man are all subjects about which they are both passionate.

Both artists immerse themselves in their chosen themes, sometimes spending several years on the same subject. Consequently, works have evolved that are mature and have depth and meaning. Their interaction has culminated in several distinct exhibitions being shown both nationally and internationally.

The varied work of both these renowned artists is linked through the introspective interpretation of their theme.

Detail of Aardappel II, Els van Baarl, 20 x 220cm (8 x 86½in). Two layers of silk and cotton, wax, dye, print.

About the artists

Readers will be inspired as they immerse themselves in the art of Els van Baarle and Cherilyn Martin. Each themed exhibition they have worked on together has the subtitle: ‘Two visions on a theme’ and it is always fascinating to see how two established artists tackle the same subject.

Els van Baarle www.elsvanbaarle.com

•   Textile artist specialising in contemporary batik, surface design and mixed media

•   Member of Steek Plus www.steekplus.nl

•   Windkracht 10 www.windkrachttien.blogspot.com

Cherilyn Martin www.cherilynmartin.com

•   Textile artist specialising in mixed media, experimental quilting and embroidery

•   Member of Quilt Art www.quiltart.eu

•   Windkracht 10 www.windkrachttien.blogspot.com

Both artists are members of IAPMA (International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists) www.iapma.info

They are internationally renowned tutors with experience of teaching in the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and throughout Europe.

Memory Cloth #5, 110 x 110cm (43 x 43in), Cherilyn Martin. German Paradekissen, rusting, screen printing, machine stitching.

How to use this book

Most artists have lots of ideas for their work – sometimes too many – so that they can no longer see the wood for the trees. This book is intended to give all artists a helping hand by showing the approach adopted by Cherilyn Martin and Els van Baarle. The concept ‘Two visions on a theme’ is at the heart of this book. Both artists show how they work individually and have their own vision and way of developing a commonly chosen theme.

Through regular contact each artist learns about the other’s ideas and their way of developing the theme. This is not true collaboration in the sense of working together on one piece of work, but rather each artist makes her own way along the same path. This form of collaboration strengthens their approach.

The hope is that by showing Cherilyn’s and Els’s individual interpretations of the themes the reader will be encouraged to develop their own interpretation.

The content of work has always been important to Cherilyn and Els; introspection, life experiences and personal interpretations are present in all of their textile art. They do not strive to make decorative pieces, but to produce work which is autonomous and has meaning. They hope to encourage the reader to adapt this same approach, and to develop work beyond technique and materials.

Cherilyn and Els both love the meditative processes of hand embroidery and layering with wax and dye because they offer time for reflection. Working on a theme forces you to focus longer on one topic, so that it becomes impossible to be satisfied with just one solution.

By in-depth exploration of the subject matter, by establishing a link with art history and other cultures, horizons are broadened and new possibilities emerge. Dedicating time to research leads to enrichment of the work.

Knowledge of the elements and principles of design can be a great help when confronted with decision-making during the process of creating. However, one’s own input and intuition should not be underestimated. Be aware of the rules but have the courage to break them on the journey to developing a visual language of your own.

Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them as an artist.

Pablo Picasso

CHAPTER 1

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

Duet, Els van Baarle. Batik on cotton.

Self-awareness is an essential part of understanding your creativity. Questioning who you are and what makes you different from others is the first step on the path to self-discovery. There are three questions you could consider:

•   Who am I? Analyse your character, for example, what are your strong points, are you confident or self-doubting, are you spontaneous or do you consider things carefully before acting, are you determined?

•   What am I capable of? List not only what you can do in the sense of making creative work, but also consider questions such as, whether you are able to organise yourself, work independently, make choices.

•   What do I want to achieve? What are your goals, are they realistic, are they achievable? Do you want to make work essentially for yourself or do you want to gain recognition? Is your work a hobby or do you want to achieve professional status?

The answers to these questions may help you to discover more about yourself and where you actually stand at this moment in time. Reflect on your answers and decide whether you need to change something in your approach to your work. You may even decide to concentrate on improving skills that will help you promote yourself and consequently your work.

Finding your inner voice is fundamental to creating and developing individual, non-derivative work.

Phases in the creative process

There are several phases in the creative process that can help you on your creative journey:

Inspiration

New ideas can be generated by doing research into a selected topic. This should be a time of carefree investigation into areas of interest, without the pressure of deciding on what the finished product should be. Read more about this phase on, ‘Choosing a theme’.

Gestation

Leave your ideas to settle for a while so that you can return to them with a fresh mind. Then it will be easier to sift information, enabling you to discard less important data and to choose the most meaningful ideas. This prevents you from being carried away with a superficial idea, which perhaps seemed exciting at the time.

Fruition

Once you have decided on your theme it is time to realise your ideas. Making a piece of work involves the coming together of ideas, materials and technique, and choices have to be made at each stage of the process. You will have to make decisions about the materials you will work with and which techniques you will use. The size of the work is important, as well as the choice of whether to work in two or three dimensions, for example.

Assessment

On completion of a piece of work it is important to evaluate the process and the result. Does your work live up to your expectations? Are there other avenues you could explore? Make a positive critique of your work and look for ways to improve on both the idea and the realisation. One idea should lead to another.

You shouldn’t be too disappointed with the results – remember, when creating art you are always in search of that elusive masterpiece. Also, when you are overly satisfied with the results, it is very difficult to move forward.

Creativity takes courage.

Henri Matisse

Choosing a theme

A mind map on the theme of trees by Els van Baarle.

A mind map drawn by Dutch elementary school children.

It is essential to examine your personal interests in order to make the right choice of theme. You should find the theme inspiring and intriguing – something you are driven to explore in depth. To help understand more about how you can approach developing your theme, mind mapping can be a particularly useful tool.

Mind mapping