In stitches
Having a floral phase at the moment – must be a spring thing.
Went to the Whitworth Art Gallery this week and it was the textiles that mostly caught my eye. Here’s three very different examples.
A fragment of a stunning kimono on display alongside the Beneath the Great Wave exhibition on Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints. The gold thread is typical of the highest-quality ceremonial garments (and the design would also make great pyjamas).
I caught myself zeroing in on this detail from the Delaine Le Bas exhibition as it made me think of my own early attempts at stitching – probably a doll’s blanket or maybe a flimsy purse. I know there’s nothing exceptional about it but worth noticing when something resonates.
Here’s the piece in its entirety for context.
The calico drapings invite you into the embroidery itself and also evoke a makeshift space like a tent, which relates back to Le Bas’s Romani identity.
This one is from the main collection. It’s a traditional Bengali Nakshi Kantha – a type of embroidery made from discarded sarees by rural women as gifts for some significant family occasion. I love the way the figures appear to be in flight.
I have a painting on the go that utilises little dashes of paint to denote space and the movement of air. It took me a while to realise I’d stolen the idea.
A couple of prints from this week.
I was pleased with how this one turned out – it’s a simple inked up plate with a red roll-up on top. Makes me think of smouldering embers, or is that a shadowy ogre’s foot?
I said I’d have a go at a multi-plate printing last week and here’s how it turned out on quality Somerset paper. The proof (which I forgot to photograph) came out better than this – not sure if I over-wiped or the paper is just more absorbent. But still, I’m pleased with how well the two plates married up and might try some more colour variations with better inking.
One hundred and seventy
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