Inspirations Presentation

In groups of six we presented the work we created over summer and gave each other constructive feedback one by one. This exercise was helpful as it gave everyone the individual opportunity to explain new and exciting ideas for the year to come. 

Below are selected pages from my summer project sketchbook. 

The feedback I received was useful and gave me the confidence to move forward with the work I was producing. The comments were positive stating that I had an exciting colour palette and a strong overall concept that can be easily linked to knit.

 The group suggested that I venture to produce larger scale drawings as my theme of shapes and colour allows me to be as experimental as I wish.   

Places and People

The places I visited this summer have been an influential part of the development of my work. The image above was taken in a small village called Portmeirion, located half an hour from where I live in North Wales, this stunning place offered me a range of initial starting points for my summer project. Home to colourful buildings and a truly breathtaking scenic landscape this location gave me valuable visual research. 

The Henri Matisse Cut-outs exhibition at Tate Britain was most definitely the catalyst to the vibrancy and injection of colour seen in my sketchbook. I was mesmerised by his larger pieces, the fluidity and movement of the cut out shapes inspired me to draw different patterns and sequences and transform them into designs for textiles.  

The simplicity of the context and content creates a wonderfully eclectic piece of art that manages to captivate the audience's imagination. During the course of developing my sketchbook I tried to interpret this concept, playing with the placement of a shape and how it relates to the rest of the piece, also choosing colours carefully in order to gain the correct balance.

Towards the end of the summer I visited the beautiful city of Lisbon, another vibrant cultural activity that contributed to my project. Witnessing such vast amounts of colour on a large scale proved to be a worth while experience as it has been translated in my work. I have worked mainly with light, vivid, bright colours because of what I have seen over the summer.  

I have been very fortunate in terms of gaining valuable and enriching first hand research, however being at home in a rural village surrounded by nature has been equally as enlightening, supplying me with ideas in terms of natural shapes and colour. 

Inspirations and Influences

Visiting the third year degree show was a highly inspiring experience in terms of how I intend on moving forward as a second year student with the skills and processes I have previously gained. The exhibition gave me insight into what is possible in an array of diverse and exciting areas within textiles.

  As I am intending on specialising in knit, I was particularly interested in seeing what kind of work I could be producing in my final year. The work exhibited was exciting and enlightened me to the fact that knit has a lot to offer in terms of final products and career opportunities. 

Degree student's final piece

Throughout the summer I have been researching contemporary practitioners that relate to the way I work and the way I would like to work in the future. The images above and below are knitted pieces by Annie Lee Larson under the label 'ALL Knitwear' created by herself. 

'The slow-growing, idiosyncratic collection of handmade sweaters and hats is an ongoing study of color and pattern realized in a series of simple shapes'.

Annie Larson in particular has been an influential practitioner for the project that I am currently working on because of her unique style. Combining colours and patterns in a tastefully without looking too outrageous. Her collections have a certain retro feel, like being transported back to the 80's with geometric shapes and clashing colours. She has managed to make knitwear current and modern, with a young and hip target group who love to stand out from the crowd.

Another practitioner that interested me in terms of pattern and design was a label called 'Dusen Dusen', founded by Ellen van Dusen from Washington DC. Her eye catching prints lured me instantly when I came across her label on instagram. This distinctive label is 'a line of universally flattering basics driven by the prints she creates from scratch each season'. Similar to ALL Knitwear, Dusen Dusen experiments with repetition of simple patterns, creating fashionable designs for all types of clothing.