Textile Society mention in Period Living April 2017

Right sides together

Always on the lookout for exciting creative talent to encourage and nurture, the Textile Society is keen to connect with their ‘right side’.

Graduate Rachel Howarth was spotted while exhibiting her inventive textile designs at the ‘New Designers’ event in London and selected from over a 1,000 design graduates to receive the Society’s 2014 Lucienne Day Innovative Textile Design Award.

Rachel told me: “I was on my stand at the ‘New Designers’ event, when Fiona and Debra from the Textile Society came on to talk about my designs and the Lucienne Day Award. It was very exciting but totally out of the blue and unexpected.”

“It came just at the right time after my graduation, when funds were low, giving me the belief, opportunity and finances to realise my next project."

“I feel greatly honoured to have won this award, not least because Lucienne Day is one of my heroines - always an inspiration to me, her designs have stood the test of time and still look fresh and contemporary today.”

Rachel also won the ‘New Designers, One Year On, Part 2’ award at ‘New Designers’ last year and recently had a solo exhibition at the National Centre for Craft and Design in Sleaford, as part of her prize.

Taking her inspiration from modern architecture and the interesting way light is reflected in glass, Rachel uses digital print to create a tonal azure palette that perfectly combines with her innovative geometric patterns, to create evocative artworks and homewares.

“My solo exhibition was another great opportunity and was well received.  I wrote to the Textile Society to let them know how I am progressing, as I like to keep in touch because of their incredible support.”

As a past Lucienne Day award winner, Rachel has been invited to come along to the Society’s 25^th Antique Textile fair in Manchester on Sunday 30 April, 2017.

Coinciding with Lucienne Day’s centenary, Paula Day, Lucienne’s daughter will be there too and would love to meet other past winners of her mother’s prestigious award. 

Have you previously won this award? If you have, we would love you to join us in Manchester.

Please get in touch by emailing Lynn Broster at bursaries@textilesociety.org.uk

Visit www.rachelhowarth.co.uk to find out more about Rachel and her work.

Walking the line between accidental colour and Abstract Expressionism

Is Clare McEwan an artistic brand that accessories abstract art and just happens to 'do scarves' or is there more to this intriguing designer?  Lucinda Merriman finds out.

The essence of Clare McEwan is difficult to define – it’s like trying to pin a tail on a donkey – fun to try but hard to achieve in the dark.

Artist, photographer, designer, entrepreneur – she is all of these but you get a feeling that there’s a lot more to discover.

Playful yet determined, sociable but equally happy in her own company, Clare’s creative nature is highly tuned, sensitive to things both light and dark. Her specific seam of creativity and the paradox of an artist’s persona; seem to evoke the multiple layers that define her artwork.

Born in Dartford, Clare had an aptitude for science and thought that her future lay there until she was waylaid by the fantastic art department at Dartford Grammar School.

Inspiration appears in many guises – art teachers seem unlikely heroes but Clare will tell you otherwise: 

“Artists themselves, my teachers had contrasting characters with different areas of expertise that complemented each other perfectly. They were extremely encouraging, introducing me to Abstract Expressionism, Cubism and Minimalism and through their infectious enthusiasm gave me an independence and freedom to create bespoke products from an early age. Drawn to the abstract, I developed my drawing skills, studied composition and the formal arrangement of layer and colour. They made me realise that I could have a career as an artist.”

With supportive yet chilled out parents, Clare left school with ‘A’ Level Art and chose to do a degree at London’s Central Saint Martin’s College.  On successfully completing her foundation course, Clare opted to do a BA in Textile Design for Print.

Graduating with a First, Claire developed a firmly established style based on her independent thought and love for experimentalism and produced six huge 2m x 1.5m wall hangings in a variety of translucent fabrics including PVC mesh and crinoline for her degree show, one of which was bought by the college for their collection.

Clare said: “Textile design came naturally to me as this medium gives me flexibility to work in large format and to indulge my abstract ideas.”

On leaving and after a slight post-uni wobble, Clare moved back home to her parents and got a job with a freelance rug designer where she received an interesting commission to produce an artwork to hang in the reception of a private Bone and joint Health clinic in the Emirates Towers, Dubai. 

"I was so excited, what an amazing opportunity to showcase my work on an International stage.  My largest artwork yet, I created a 6m x 2m textile hanging using similar techniques to those used in my degree show. My abstract imagery likened broken glass, while the back-lighting activated the layers, created an interesting 2-D effect."

Clearly a 'rolling stone' Clare was keen to experience as much of life as she could over the next few years - moving back to London and selling her art on Saturday morning at the Ritzy Cinema in Brixton, being selected for an Art's Council Residency Digital Artist Placement at Waddesdon Church of England School in Buckinghamshire, then moving to Brighton to work part-time for the council while setting up a print studio and providing creative workshops at a former coach works along with other artists and performers. 

By 2011, hitting 30 and brimming with creative ideas, Clare felt the time was right to start her own business and by trial and error began designing silk crepe de chine scarves from her own original experimental artwork under the C F McEwan label.  

Clare's creative inspiration often starts with a walk and her camera and she describes the process in her Podcast '10,000 steps towards my colour palette'.

"Walking is the perfect way to collect new colour whilst boosting my mental brightness, inspiration and the motivation to get started.  I'm looking for five elements while on the move - Accidental colour, Material combinations, Light and shadow and Contrast." 

You might try to describe this technique as the trendy new meditation of ‘Mindfulness’ but I’m not sure that this is Clare’s style – it’s a little too self-conscious and forced. As Clare immerses herself into the space and her surroundings I imagine she’s an awe-inspired Dorothy stepping into Oz for the first time, what we see as mono, she sees as Technicolor. 

Clare explains:  "I collect accidental colour - unexpected new colours taken from urban or natural landscapes. Influenced by artists Eva Hesse, William Eggleston and William Christenberry, I look out for interesting material combinations that have beautiful, sculptural and textural qualities and an ephemeral instant - a brief experience or moment in time captured and translated."  

"I observe how a structure imposes itself in a space depending on the quality of light and look not only for the contrast in light but also for contrasting materials and textures. I enjoy finding infinite ways of photographing through layers as this is central to my whole practise and provides the tools to combine all my imagery, inspiring  me to create smaller and lighter objects back in the studio." 

Drawing, printmaking, hand stitching and simple marking are combined to create abstract and atmospheric imagery, with irregular shaped objects and surfaces being formed using paper, fabric and plastic.  Clare then photographs these textiles, objects and surfaces using a range of light sources and filters, exploring shadow, reflection and edge. The finished images are printed onto lightweight 100% silk crepe de chine squares (125cm x 125cm) creating beautiful abstract scarves sold in a range of boutiques and galleries across the UK and the USA. 

And what of the future, has this restless spirit found its true vocation and is she content with her current success? 

"I am very lucky as I love what I'm doing and I'm proud of my achievements to date.  It meant a lot to be one of four selected artists to create contemporary artworks for Dartford in 2016 and I've just launched my autumn/winter 2016 ‘The Cut-Out’ inspired collection and it’s already selling in well. 

I do think that I am creatively restless though - I’m keen to develop collaborations with other artists and designers and in the immediate future I’m taking some time off to travel.” 

Bearing in mind what Clare has achieved; one cannot doubt that whatever she does will continue to involve movement and her fascinating multi-tiered view of life.

For more information, visit Clare's website at www.cfmcewan.com

Article published in Dorset Life

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Dorset Life - The Dorset magazine is an independently owned county magazine. Not part of a national publishing group Dorset Life is produced in Wareham by a small, dedicated team, all of whom live and work in Dorset.

Guest post on Selvedge Blog

I've just started helping out the Textile Society as their Press Officer and in this capacity, I've written a review of their London Antique Textile event, which has just been published on the Selvedge Blog.

Established in 1982 as an educational charity, the Textile Society raises money through its London and Manchester Antique Textile Fairs to help fund the Society's awards and bursaries.

Click here for more information about the Antique Textile event in April.

Click here to read my guest post for the Selvedge Blog.

Selvedge is a bi-monthly publication for interior textile and fashion designers.

Materials Matter

A review of the unique London Antique Textile Fair, Sunday 2nd October 2016 by Lucinda Merriman.

Stepping off a bustling King’s Road into Chelsea’s Victorian Town Hall and The Textile Society’s London Antique Textile Fair is like entering an Aladdin’s Cave – cool and calming and once your eyes have adjusted to the dazzle of the display; the outside world recedes for a few hours while you immerse yourself in everything material.

Threading your way between the multitude of stands bursting at the seams with fascinating fabrics in every form from all around The World, your senses are assailed with colour, form and texture – certainly a system is needed to make sure that nothing is left out or forgotten. 

For those ‘in the know’ and serious textile collectors, this show is simply one you can’t afford to miss – where else would you find such a diverse collection of fabric from the 18^th Century through to the 1970’s, pictorial embroidery, hats, preposterous Indonesian headdresses, shawls, exquisite vintage clothing, rugs, lovingly made quilts, bags, ribbons and fans? The choice is breathtaking!

Sue Richardson's stand

It’s not just the wide array of exhibitors that seduces but the experience and passion that feels palpable around the room - dealers don’t just sell but also share their knowledge, as there’s usually a back-story or history to their pieces.

Sue Richardson from gallery 196 explains: “I’ve been going to India for 30 years. Originally I was sent over as a weave designer and became interested and started to buy beautiful old textiles that I could afford. Now I sell vintage textiles from Gujarat in India, Syria, Pakistan and Peru. People there don't have very much and can't afford expensive fabrics, so they tend to use whatever comes to hand - thread-bare saris, different coloured threads - there's an amazing amount of creativity and lack of inhibition, which creates a freedom to lovingly create beautiful objects."

But it’s Liz Evans from repropattern who sells mid-Century British textiles from the 1950 – 1970’s who most succinctly sums up a textile dealers take on things: “We are the warp and weft of life.”

Liz Evan's stand

Established in 1982 as an educational charity, The Textile Society raises money through this event and their Manchester Fair in April to help fund the Society’s awards and bursaries for students, museums, archives, historians, PhD candidates, craft workers, designers, curators and conservators.

Dr Brenda King, Chair of The Textile Society for 7 years concisely distills the Society’s work: “Supporting students through our bursary awards is extremely important to us, the money we make from this and the Manchester event helps us support the future through the past.”

Centre stage, fittingly raised above the stallholders, were some of this year’s bursary award winners and Bath Spa University graduate Charlotte Street who took The Lucienne Day Award for innovative interior textiles with her stunning trompe-l'oeil imagery. 

Lucienne Day award winner Charlotte Street

A shell-shocked but delighted Charlotte told me: “I was amazed to receive this completely unexpected award – it’s wonderful to receive this recognition of a job well done, it means a lot to me that people like it and the award will open doors for this collection and my future.” 

There were 7 bursary student winners: Lorna Jewitt, Anna Duthie, Sally Cooke, Antonio Castro, Katy Welsh, Alice Richardson-Payne and Jemma Pratt.

Lorna Jewitt from the Leeds College of Art received a post-graduate student award for her artworks inspired by her part-time work cataloguing at the Sunny Bank Mills’ Archive in West Yorkshire. Central to her theme seems to be the humble paperclip and Lorna explains why:

“Through cleaning and cataloguing cards, we remove and throw away hundreds of paperclips and other detritus, which made me wonder about the person who originally clipped them onto the card and how we decide which items are preserved while others are being brushed away. I wanted to make a connection or memory to that person and place – to try and capture that ephemeral moment. This award is very exciting, surprising and lovely and will help me with the material costs for my final M.A. show.”

Whatever you were looking for, this show was sure to have it and more besides - amateur or professional, student or designer - there is something for everyone.  

With business brisk and collectors happy; there’s sure to be many more shows to come, but before that next year’s Antique Textile Fair in Manchester on Sunday 30^th April is set to be a very special event as it celebrates its 25^th Anniversary while coinciding with the Centenary of Lucienne Day’s birth who was the Society’s first president and created the prestigious Lucienne Day Award.

The Textile Society has lots of exciting things planned to celebrate these two momentous occasions in collaboration with Lucienne’s daughter Paula Day and the Robin and Lucienne Day Foundation. For more information, visit http://www.textilesociety.org.uk/events/ and http://www.textilesociety.org.uk/

29th ‘Art for Youth London’ affordable art fair held at the Mall Galleries raises funds and profile of 105-year old charity.

Steel Sketch No.2 in steel and wood by Guy Haddon-Grant.

An annual affordable exhibition, ‘Art for Youth London’ not only acts as an important showcase for budding and established contemporary artists but raises substantial funds for national charity UK Youth.

Established in 1911, UK Youth is one of the best kept secrets in the charity sector taking a low profile while working tirelessly to help over 700,000 young people every year to take control of their lives.

This year’s 29^th event on Wednesday 14th September and Thursday 15th September 2016, buzzed with people who had come to view over 1,000 artworks from around 130 artists.  The diversity and quality of work ranging from paintings and ceramics through to sculpture and jewellery was astounding and the range of prices, £200 - £5,000 meant that there’s something for everyone.

'Travelling Light' in bronze and steel by Arabella Brooke.

Matt Lent, Director of Partnerships & Policy was at the event representing the charity and said: “’Art for Youth London’ is our biggest fund raiser of the year and through it we have incredibly raised over

2 million pounds since it began; without it we couldn’t offer the help and support that we do.”

Diana Brooks committee member and founder of the event presented a prize sponsored by The Wates Foundation for the best artist aged under 35 years.  This year The Wates Foundation Diana Brooks Prize went to Jake Barker, who's monochrome projects are centred around human welfare or wildlife conservation.

Diana explained why she had chosen Jake: "I can't describe how much it means to help a young artist to get established,  When I first set up this event 29 years ago it was all about helping young artists as well as raising money for the charity.  This year I've chosen an incredibly talented young artist called Jake Barker who is only 20 years of age, is self-taught with no formal training and this money (£1,000) will help him on his way from here on."

Artworks by award winner Jake Barker.

For more information about 'Art for Youth London' visit http://www.artforyouth.com/ 

To donate or find out more about UK Youth visit http://www.ukyouth.org/ and The Wates Foundation at http://www.watesfoundation.org.uk/