Artist Research

Shelly Rhodes

Shelley Rhodes is a contemporary mixed media artist 

who combines fabric, paper and stitch with drawings and prints. 

Sources of inspiration include architecture, landscape and discarded items

I am really inspired by her work as i also enjoy using a 

combination of paper, fabrics and water based paints.

The use of water colour and ink too create a bleeding 

look is a technique i would like to work with.

Responding Too Images

During this project i did an embroidery workshop. 

In response too my images i then experimented with 

embroidery too create samples that interpreted the lines 

or patterns i found withing the photographs.

Hand embroidered piece

Machine embroidery on sheer fabric.

Stitching too tight and pulled fibres apart.

Wet fabric dried in a twist to create texture

then machine embroidered.

Dyed fabric, sheer fabric machine embroidered

on top.

Experimenting with layers. Dyed fabric embroidered, 

sheer fabric on top also embroidered.

Initial Research

Malaga Old Town

From the photographs i took i started doing a mark 

making exercise to create a start point for my work.

I experimented with lines and shapes i found within the buildings.

Experimenting with a combination of hand 

embroidery on paper on a charcoal rubbing.

 Fine line drawing of grid work I observed within the picture.

Malaga  Church

 Looking at this image i tried to recreate the textures i found within the 

stone of the building. I used water  colour paints to interpret the colours and lines. 

I then experimented by wetting some fabric and twisting it

 until it dried to create my own texture.

Monks Cave

 

Malaga Cathedral

Manchester Centre

Mark makings

Thinking By Making

Thinking By Making

During the next few weeks i will be using a set of photographs i took during the summer as the starting point to this project. I spent a lot of my summer abroad where i came across many beautiful buildings, for example, Malaga Cathedral and 'Old Monks Cave'. I will be focusing mainly on the detail and lines created in the surfaces of the buildings to help me create a range of samples as I work.

I am not entirely sure which specialism I wish to pursue at the moment, However at this present time I feel I am working mainly towards a surface pattern design within ladies fashion. My approach to this project will be to start with a variety of drawings and/or paintings in response to my primary images which will demonstrate the lines or textures I find could be most inspiring to work with and create the most appealing outcome. After I have identified some interesting marks, lines or textures I will then begin to experiment with materials, and use these lines to create possible patterns or interesting fabric pieces. After experimenting and gathering an idea of which direction I wish to go I will then look at other artists or designers in a similar field to influence new ideas and push my project forward.

I will also be using a combination of media such as paint, fabrics and stitching to create a more varied response to my own images and to my research.

In past projects I have used a very particular colour palette of more organic and natural colours in this project I wish to push myself to experiment a lot more with colour and work outside of my usual comfort zone. This is so I can get a taste of a new approach I wouldn’t usually take to see if I am capable of working within a more varied palette and under a different criterion.

At the end of this project I hope to have a selection of experimental samples I would have created over the coming weeks. These samples will show a variety of experiments with colours and show a range of different designs visibly taken from my primary images. Using one or two samples I will then demonstrate how I wish for my work to be used in context.

Alongside my work I will visit an exhibition that will help gather secondary research to inspire my work. for example, ‘The First Cut exhibition is an exhibition of different artists that cut and manipulate paper in a cutting edge fashion. This exhibition is of relevance to my work as I plan on combining both fabrics and paper.

This will be a continuous experimental project that will test my skills and creativity. I am also hoping to get out of this project a more clear idea of which aspect of the textile industry I wish to work and where my work will fit into that.

Evaluation

i enjoyed Unit X as it got me out of my comfort zone and trying new things.  I would usually work simply with textiles in fashion, where as this project got me thinking more about the different aspects of textiles, such as the interiors and installations within textiles.
This project also got me experimenting more with techniques i usually try to avoid, such as embroidery and stenciling, This is because i am a very 'messy' and 'clumsy' worker and i find it very difficult to work with a delicate hand and i like to just get stuck in. However, throughout this project i found that i started to enjoy using hand embroidery a lot as it creates such intricate lines and details.
If anything, i think this project has taught me to push myself way out of my comfort zone as you never know, you just might enjoy it.
I think the thing i found most difficult in this project was getting used to blogging. As i haven't yet had to do this along side a project i was forever forgetting to post and get involved in the blog. I was also slightly confused as to what it was meant for, as i thought it was just a little task along side sketchbook work, which i have now come to realize it was pretty much the other way around so now my blog is clearly lacking posts. However i am now confident in what the blog stands for and is meant to represent so in future my blog will be chock-a-block of posts, only relevant ones of course.

Launch Party

This is just a quick post to say how im really looking forward to the launch party and finding out how everyone's projects went. Iv been a little stressed with the blog recently as iv tried posting a few things and then when iv returned later the posts had gone, so hopefully this 1 will post! And ill recreate the ones i tried to post before. Be good to just enjoy myself tonight at the launch party after this stress!

Context Sheet

This is my context sheet. Here i have included images of sampling i did along the way, such as paintings and stencils. I also included some artist research that influenced my work, so that you can clearly see where my inspiration came from. The final image is the end visualization i created on Photoshop to show how i want my wall panel to be seen.

Visualisation

This is my visualization of my final design. It is a wall that is made of layers of embroidered fabric and stenciling. This piece is inspired by the architecture and cities of Greece and Manchester. The piece is intended to create an interesting and also tactile wall piece that people can interact with while in a social environment.

C.V

C.V.

Tatum Farrar: Curriculum Vitae

Date of Birth:   07/04/1992

Email:   tatumfarrar_130@hotmail.com

Artist Statement

I am currently a student studying textiles in practise at Manchester Metropolitan University. Since I started university I have become a much more confident and outgoing person. University has helped improve my time management skills to ensure my work is always finished on time and to the best of my ability.

I use many different techniques within my work, experimenting with different medias and materials to help find my own sense of style.

Education and Qualifications

BTEC Diploma Foundation Art and Design

Nelson and Colne College – grade: merit

National Diploma in Art and Design

Photography - grade: Distinction

Textiles - grade:  Distinction

3D Design- grade:  Distinction

GCSEs

10 ranging from A-C

Previous work experience

·         Co Operative Food – During my time at the Co Operative my main duties were to operate the tills and handle the money while maintaining a high set of communication skills with the customers.

·         Pound Stretcher – This was my first job after I left school; I worked as a sales assistant. This job required me you communicate directly with the customers and use the appropriate skills to advise customers on items.

Walton Lane Nursery – During high school I did a two weeks work experience in a local nursery.

Skills

All basic textiles skills. I also have a national diploma in photography and 3D design. 

References 

Kate Egan

Head of Textiles In practice,

Manchester School of art,

Manchester Metropolitan University

Joanne Hadcroft

Head of Art and Design

Nelson and Colne College

contextual reference.

 This is another similar artist that i began looking at. Unlike Sandra Hurl this work is a lot more intricate and detailed and makes a huge impact with the smallest of stitches. 

Contextual reference.

Sandra Hurl

As part of my project i am looking at Greece and Manchester from different perspectives and comparing the two, i began looking for textile artists that could link to my work. I found Sandra Hurl's work and was instantly attracted to the use of colour and lines. In response to this research i found some birds-eye view images of both Manchester and Greece so you can see the difference is cities and towns and i will then create embroidered samples in response.

Stenciling.

After looking at more images i decided to start experimenting with different shapes that i could see in the buildings, such as these arched windows. I then made a second stencil to create another layer and a sense of 3D.

Responding to photographs.

                                             After looking at photographs of Greek villages I was instantly reminded of  stencils. All the squares and rectangles gave me lots of ideas so i instantly started creating my own stencils in response. I then dyed some fabric and put it behind the stencil to create the feel of it being a build up of something, much like the windows in the villages.

The image below is a collage i created. I then cut out shapes to create an unusual stencil and a resemblance between the photo and the collage.

Tutorial feedback

I was a little unsure of where i was going with my project so i was glad when i went to the tutorial that my tutor gave great feedback. I couldnt decide which direction to take my work in and couldnt picture any ideas or outcomes. After speaking with my tutor she told me to look at certain artists and architecture for inspiration. I now have a clearer idea of where i am going with my project and feel more confident with ideas.

Wall Installation - Tatum

As i have now decided to create a wall piece for y final piece i started to look at different installation art pieces. This installation is by Jerzy Goliszewski, It is suppose to resemble crumbling of an ice sheet.
I really like this piece as it is very 3 dimensional and creates a really effective surface. I am thinking of creating a wall that is tactile and creates the image of depth within it.

Flock Installation

As i have now decided that i wish to design a wall installation of some kind i started looking into different kinds of installations. This was one i found interesting, the tactility of the pieces and the way it looks different from every angle creates a really interesting piece to look at.

Flock

Ceramic installation

Anne Jamison, Debbie Metherell, John Butler, Jonna Behrens.

Flock consists of 4000 component pieces covering a 37 square metre wall. Flock is installed in the central thoroughfare courtyard of the campus, and is perceived differently from each direction.

Lauren Bowker Talk

I went to a talk by Lauren Bowker where she showed her most interesting and successful work that she had done since finishing university only a few years before. I was amazed at how much she had achieved at such a young age and found it really inspirational., She created a jacket that changed colour depending on how much air pollution is around, this opened my eyes to how textiles isnt just about fabrics and fashion, it can be any subject.

Photos of Manchester

As i am looking at the architecture of Greece and Manchester i decided to go out and take photographs of buildings around Manchester so i had some visual research to refer to when creating ideas.

Sampling Project

For this project we were asked to choose a pair of opposites, my opposites were Compose - Decompose.

From this I started photographing decomposing leaves, rotting fruit and dried out vegetables to see what colours and marks I would find. I decided to look at leaves, as this would give me a better starting point. I instantly started experimenting with different ways to dye fabric that would be the case naturally, such as dirt and rust. 

As this was clearly too literal I looked into something else that you would associate with decomposition in a natural state which brought me to mummification. I chose this as it created a more interesting approach and instantly gave me brand new ideas. I then started using mod roc to resemble the decaying bandaging and creating different lines. I wanted to interpret some of the sampling I did previously so I then rusted some fabric and used it as a lining to create some colour and involve the appearance that my opposites suggest.

In the second part of the project we were asked to write a new brief where as we could either concentrate on a strong point or go in another direction. I chose to go in another direction. In contrast to the original objective I chose to look at man made markings. I began looking at how nature spoils and changes a surface or material, so I then began looking at how people make marks and spoils through the day without even realizing. I used images of scratches, stains and ruined surfaces that were a trace of somebody creating that mark.

In workshops I then created large scale paintings of markings I found in my images in response to the man made marks. From the large drawings I then started creating samples in my sketch book. 

I felt that in the second part of the project my sampling was much better and my presentation began to take a better form. As I usually look at an image and create very basic and literal samples I tried to look beyond the obvious and create samples that were much more interesting and looked a lot more textile based. I started experimenting in different ways using paper, card and combining a range of media.

As much of my work is always based on natural colours I tried bringing in more of a variety by looking deeper into the images as the same colour scheme can get boring. I enjoyed working  with colour much more than the natural as they were more appealing to the eye and created much better detail. I wasn’t very pleased with this project as I missed out on a lot of workshop time so it lacks a lot of work that others have as i missed majority of my hand processes workshops meaning i have very little samples in response.

However, I feel that nearing the end of the project I started to find my own style and how I am comfortable in working which benefits my presentation vastly and my sampling outcomes improved a lot once I experimented and looked deeper into the subject. I will use this approach in my next project to hopefully improve my work and create samples of much more interesting detail and a wider range of samples.

                                                          Hand Processes Sample 1

                                                         Hand processes sample 2

                                                         sample 3

                                                      sample 4

                                                                
                                                            Drawing from a paintbrush workshop

                                                        Dress inspired by mummification