Preamble [1]
'Melbourne Now' was an art exhibition mounted by the National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne, Australia) in 2014. It took as its premise the idea that a city is significantly shaped by the artists, designers, architects, choreographers, intellectuals, and community groups that lived and worked in the midsts of this multi-cultural city. The aim was to explore how Melbourne's visual artists and creative practitioners contributed to the dynamic cultural identity of this city. The result was an exhibition that celebrates what was unique about Melbourne's art, design, and architectural collectives.
The intention of the exhibition was to encourage and inspire everyone to discover some of the best of Melbourne's culture. To help achieve this, family-friendly activities, dance and music performances, inspiring talks from creative practitioner's, city walks and ephemeral installations and events made up the public program.
This and other posts in this series concentrate on the participating artists, rather than on other features of the exhibition event such as the family-friendly commissions developed especially for children and young audiences that was aimed to encourage participatory learning for children and their families in general.
For your convenience I have listed below other posts on this blogspot that features Melbourne Now exhibitions:
Melbourne Now - Part I
Melbourne Now - Part II
Melbourne Now - Part III
Melbourne Now - Part IV
Melbourne Now - Part V
Melbourne Now - Part VI
Melbourne Now - Part VII
Melbourne Now - Part VIII
Melbourne Now - Part IX
Melbourne Now - Part IX [1]
Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits is a collective comprised of artists Gavin Bell, Jarrah de Kuijer and Simon McGlinn. Formed in Melbourne in 2008, the group produces a variety of work through outsourcing and minimal interventions as a form of information management. Interested in the gathering speed and increase in communication, the collectives focus is on a culture created by the environment, characterized by immediacy, instinct and renewal. Greatest Hits have exhibited in various solo and group shows both internationally and locally, including Untitled, The Projects Melbourne, and FX, Center for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne.
In Untitled, 2012, Greatest Hits brings together two well-known tropes: the Japanese beckoning cat 'maneki-neko' and the representation of the black cat as an ill omen. The common associations of the icons - that of invting good and bad fortunes respectively - set the stage for a pseudo logical argument that attempts to rid itself of meaning. Taking its cue from the voiding effects of exposure to excessive information, the work engages with the language of surface culture, in which depth and focus is increasingly replaced by montage and movement.
Title and Year of Creation: Untitled (2012).
Helen Grogan, Shelly Lasica and Anne-Marie May
The collaborative practice of Helen Grogan, Shelly Lasica and Anne-Marie May brings choreography and movement into the gallery context, mediated by layers of projection, sound and objects. Sharing interests in process, collaboration and intermedial practices, the artists draw on credentials in varied art forms: Grogan studied philosophy, choreography and art curatorship and since 2003 has exhibited as an installation artist; Lasica is a choreographer and dancer whose work is characterized by cross-disciplinary collaborations and the presentation of dance in various spatial contexts; and May studied painting, her twenty-five-year practice concerned with the interplay between different materials and processes.
The installation 'INSIDE VIANNE AGAIN,' 2013, continues a collaborative project exploring the context of performance and its presentation. For Melbourne Now, dancers Deanne Butterworth, Timothy Harvey, Jo Llyod and Bonnie Paskas were recorded performing the work VIANNE, choreographed by Lasica, in the National Gallery of Victoria (Australia) space. This footage is projected back onto the space itself, including sculptural objects. Thus the work creates slippages between layers of representation, time, architecture and bodies - of both the performance and viewers who navigate the space.
Helen Grogan, Shelley Lasica, Anne-Marie May, INSIDE VIANNE AGAIN (2013).
Michelle Hamer
Michelle Hamer is an architect-turned-textile artist whose work interrogates the vernacular of Melbourne's civic landscape. Since 2005 Hamer has produced small-scale needlepoint tapestries that reference forms of text and signage in the urban environment. From road signs to graffiti to billboards and advertising, Hamer's interest is in language and meaning, and her tapestries are a kind of social cartography. Journeying around specific sites, Hamer first takes endless snapshots before sifting and sorting through them, formulating a visual hypothesis which she later executes in material form.
Hamer's contribution to Melbourne Now pairs works referencing local signage, such as 'Blame and punishment the individual' (2013). While the contrasting palettes and particular nuances of typography, built architecture and native vegetation point to specific times and places, when amplified and dislocated Hamer's chosen text suggest a more universal narrative of perplexity and turmoil. The artist describes these powerful distillations as 'revealing the small in-between moments that characterize everday life.'
Michelle Hamer, Can't (2013).
Treahna Hamm
Melbourne-born Treahna Hamm was disconnected from her Yorta Yorta family in early infancy, but grew up in her ancestral lands Dhungala (the Murray River), upstream from Echuca. In 2001 Hamm return to Barmah in order to trace her living connection to this Country. She participated in a coil-weaving workshop led by Yvonne Koolmatrie and embarked on didjirri (deep listening) in communication with female elders. Hamm's subsequest woven fiber and sculptural work has issued from a resolve to re-claim the cultural stories, objects, designs and philsophy previously hidden from her.
Hamm's work for Melbourne Now is a zinc breastplate that subverts and transforms objects of disquieting and ambivalent status made by British colonisers as a way of labelling, rewarding and pacifying their colonised subjects. This deep crescent-shaped object references metal breastplates, such as that of "king Billy' (William Barak), which belonged to Hamm's Indigeneous family. The intricate curvilinear motifs incised in the breastplate expresses her peoples resilient culture and indelible connection to Dhungala Country, which the tide of history cannot wash away.
Treahna Hamm, Cummeragunjah, Breast Plate 2 (2005).
Courtesy: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia.
Brent Harris
Brent Harris was born in New Zealand and has lived and worked in Melbourne (Australia) since 1981. A painter who also workes extensively in the prints and drawings media, Harris is well known for his explorations of human subjectivity in images that hover between figuration and abstraction. His work has undergone several radical shifts over the course of his career, and an important new direction was signalled by the group of monotypes begun in 2012. Intimate and experimental, these brooding nocturnal scenes evoke a fantastic nether world of supernatural creatures and aging figures inspired by the artist's reflection upon the psychology of death.
Since Edgar Degas' time, the monotype has been prized by artists as a medium particularly suited to improvisation. In "The Fall" (2012), included in Melbourne Now, Harris has exploited this to the full, intuitively reworking and resolving his imagery on the plates before printing them. The enigmatic imagery in Harris monotypes - tumbling figures, ghoulish heads, skulls, inky skies and dark, mysterious bodies of water - speaks to our deepest fears concerning mortality and the absurdity of the human condition.
The Fall (no. 9), 2012.
Courtesy: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Australia.
Reference:
[1] T. Ellwood, Director, National Gallery of Victoria (Melbourne, Australia).
Preamble
For your interest, I have listed below, other posts on this blogspot that centers on Street Art:
Unleashed: The Rise of Australian Street Art
New York Spray-Can Memorials: A Backdrop to Life
Another Brick
Cultural Graffiti
Beyond the Fear of Freedom
Oh, Oh Marilyn and Mona@Spoonflower
Neu Kunst: Mona & Marilyn
Paste Modernism 4
Graffiti Versus Post Graffiti Art
Pure Evil - Street Art
3A Crew - Street Art
Street Graphics of Tokyo - Part I
Street Graphics of Tokyo - Part II
Street Art
Street Art [1]
Street art is both an expression of the culture it resides in and a counterculture in itself. 'Communication' has become a modern mantra; the city streets and highways shout with bill boards, fly posters and corporate advertising, all vying for our attention. They almost invite a subversive response. As high-tech communication have increased, a low-tech reaction has been the recent explosion on street art.
Walk down the famous bluestone Hosier Lane and admire the street art that has made the Melbourne urban art scene known across the globe. Take in the dizzying array of colours, characters and shapes created by local and international artists alike. Pick out everything from stencils and paste-ups to murals and installations.
The street is a unique and powerful platform; a front line on which artists can express themselves, transmitting their personal visions directly to the public at the same level as official messages. No other art forms interact in this way with our daily lives, using urban space as its surface.
Graffiti Wall in Bondi Beach, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Street art in Australia. Surfers Paradise, on the Gold Coast.
In parallel with the accelerated communications of modern technology, images and ideas are spreading like viruses over walls across the world. These walls are experimental, uncensored and collaborative spaces, and the simple and effective beauty of stencilled graffiti offers great scope for expression, from protest art to poetry. There is a global new wave of artists who are discovering and expanding the possibility of the medium. This new work is strong in both form and ideas, using humour and irony to convey important and thought provoking messages about today's society.
From left to right: Peter Gabriel flightcase; Space Invader, Paris; Hand stencil, London; Obey Star by Shepard Fairy and Radiohead stencil, Melrose, California; Hand of Fatima, Paris; background portrait of Nylon.
From left to right: Viva Zapata, Barcelona, Louis Armstrong, Paris; 'Post No Bills,' Paris; Heart, Brighton, UK.
Street Arts are hybridizing, too. Inspired by street works, artists are increasingly using stencils on ArtCloth, canvas, metal, T-shirts, paper and in the digital realm.
Banksy Girl with Bluebird Stencil.
Designers of all kinds, fine artists and graffiti artists are expanding horizons with mixed media applications. Often multi-disciplined, today's stencil graffiti are using stencils with fly posters, stickers, collage and freehand painting, using spray and other paints, in ever-mutating and creative ways.
Reference:
[1] T. Manco, Stencil Graffiti, Thames & Hudson, London (2002).
Preamble
Art Quilts have featured on this blogspot and so for your convenience I have listed below previous posts in this series:
Art Quilts - Part I
Art Quilts - Part II
Art Quilts - Part III
Art Quilts - Part IV
Art Quilts - Part V
Art Quilts - Part VI
Art Quilts - Part VII
Art Quilters of the Netherlands - Part I
Art Quilters of the Netherlands - Part II
Art Quilters of the Netherlands - Part III
Four Selected European Art Quilters - Part I
Four Selected European Art Quilters - Part II
Four Selected European Art Quilters - Part III
Art Quilts of Jane Sassaman
Art Quilts of Michael A. Cummings
Four Selected European Art Quilters - Part IV
Art Quilts of Carolyn Crump
Jan Myers-Newbury
Art Quilts of Karin Franzen
Art Quilts of Emily Richardson
Four Selected European Art Quilters - Part V
Four Selected European Art Quilters - Part VI
Four Selected European Art Quilters - Part VI [1]
Elżbieta Kuźniar (Kraków, Poland)
Full View
Title (Year): A piece of sky - moon (2014).
Materials and Techniques: Hand dyeing, printing and painting, cotton band, bronze leaf, cotton with linen. The work has two layers. The base is cotton with linen fused by stitching cotton band.
Size: 155 x 131 cm.
Comment [1]: In my textile works, I'm concentrated on shape, color and structure. The main color is black and all of its shades. My favorite fabrics are cotton and linen (mainly for hand dyeing and printing). My works refer to symbolic themes and are created as a result of searching and interpreting the reality we live in - mostly nature. Recently, my favorite are to work with heavenly phenomenon, especially the moon.
Detail View 1.
Detail View 2.
Marita Lappalainen (Tampere, Finland)
Full View
Title (Year): Exclamation Mark (2014).
Materials and Techniques: Recycled wool fabrics; recycled wool, silk and cotton knits.
Size: 109 x 146 cm.
Comment [1]: 'Exclamation Mark' was enticed by the pink and the green. The other colors kind of wanted to join in.
Detail View 1.
Detail View 2.
Roberta Le Poidevin (Guernsey, Channel Islands, United Kingdom)
Full View
Title (Year): A Thousand Acres (2014).
Materials and Techniques: Cotton fabric, cotton wadding, Lutradur, cotton thread, Indian ink, Bondaweb, Procion dye and disperse dye. Cotton fabric monoprinted, scraped and sponged with thickened Procion dye. Disperse dyed Lutradur covered in Indian ink writing using a needle-nosed bottle, applied to background by fused appliqué. Free machine embroidered and straight line quilted.
Size: 105 x 140 cm.
Comment [1]: Inspired by the story behind King Lear and its modern retelling, 'A Thousand Acres' by Jan Smiley. The vastness of the sky and landscape and the approach of a storm seen over the land. The threatening sky and imminent storm convey the sense of impending disaster for a dysfunctional family.
Detail View 1.
Detail View 2.
Amelia Leigh (Southwick, West Sussex, United Kingdom)
Full View
Title (Year): Elizabethan, 2 (2013).
Materials and Techniques: Cotton sateen, cotton. Piecing, quilting.
Size: 163 x 116 cm.
Comment [1]: My fascination with half-timbered houses contines with this piece. It's interesting that in general half-timbered houses in Britain are black & white, while in the rest of Europe they seem to be black & yellow, so this is a street corner where both styles meet.
Detail View 1.
Detail View 2.
Reference:
[1] European Art Quilt Foundation, Molenschat, Netherlands (2014).
Preamble
This blogspot has a number of posts on felt and felted objects which have been listed below for your convenience.
Hallstatt Textiles
Nuno Felted Scarves@Felted Pleasure
Fabric Construction - Felt
Felted Garments
Felted Accessories
Felted Works of the 1980s
Felt Shawls
Felt Objects - Part I
Felt Objects - Part II
Felt Objects - Part III
Felted Headwear - Part I
Introduction
Felted hats are hats made from matted, condensed fibers, most commonly wool, that provide insulation, water resistance, and durability. They are worn in winter because the felted material, especially wool, traps heat to keep the head warm and also helps protect against cold and moisture, unlike lighter materials like straw.
Moreover, felted hats are a fashionable item, making a significant comeback in both men's and women's fashion due to their timeless style, versatility, and craftsmanship. They are popular in various styles, from vintage-inspired fedoras and trilbies to modern designs, and are seen as a sophisticated and durable accessory for both casual and formal occasions.
Felted Headwear - Part I [1]
Creator and Headwear (Year): Waltraud Reiner, Travel Hats (1993).
Material and Technique: Industrial felt; blocked.
Size: 20 x 17 cm.
Photograph: Courtesy of the maker.
Creator and Headwear (Year): Eibhilîn Mhic Fhearraigh, Sweep Everyday (2009).
Material and Technique: Peach bloom felt; block, hand molded.
Size: 17 x 27 x 23 cm.
Photograph: Courtesy of Richard Costelloe.
Creator and Headwear (Year): Marian Kastelein, Circles in the Sky (2009).
Material and Technique: Merino wool, silk, linen, flax; wet felted.
Size: Dimensions not available.
Photograph: Courtesy of Maria Doelman.
Creator and Headwear (Year): Jean Hicks, Sushi Hat (1999).
Material and Technique: Merino wool, silk, wood; hand felted, traditional millinery techniques.
Size: Dimensions not available.
Photograph: Courtesy of Jan Cook.
Creator and Headwear (Year): Jean Hicks, Brimmed Corazon (1999).
Material and Technique: Merino wool, cashmere, alpaca; hand felted, traditional millinery techniques.
Size: Dimensions not available.
Photograph: Courtesy of Jan Cook.
Creator and Headwear (Year): Eia Radaosavljevic, Coolimacon (1991).
Material and Technique: Industrial felt, cotton thread, cotton/rayon grosgain, wire, elastic; machine sewn and hand stitched.
Size: Dimensions not available.
Photograph: Courtesy of the artist.
Creator and Headwear (Year): Kristi Tavnå Tverå, Eugina (2007).
Material and Technique: Merino wool; nuno technqiues.
Size: 56 cm.
Photograph: Courtesy of Anne Kari Myrvik.
Creator and Headwear (Year): Michela Gregoretti (Tinakela), Nine Steps Inwards (2010).
Material and Technique: Merino wool; wet felt.
Size: 30 x 28 cm.
Photograph: Courtesy of Urban Golob.
Reference:
[1] 500 Felt Objects, Lark Crafts, Sterling Publishing Co. Inc., New York, NY 10016.
Preamble
This is the fifty-sixth post in a new Art Resource series that specifically focuses on techniques used in creating artworks. For your convenience I have listed all the posts in this new series below:
Drawing Art
Painting Art - Part I
Painting Art - Part II
Painting Art - Part III
Painting Art - Part IV
Painting Art - Part V
Painting Art - Part VI
Home-Made Painting Art Materials
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part I
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part II
Quality in Ready-Made Artists' Supplies - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part I
Historical Notes on Art - Part II
Historical Notes on Art - Part III
Historical Notes on Art - Part IV
Historical Notes on Art - Part V
Tempera Painting
Oil Painting - Part I
Oil Painting - Part II
Oil Painting - Part III
Oil Painting - Part IV
Oil Painting - Part V
Oil Painting - Part VI
Pigments
Classification of Pigments - Part I
Classification of Pigments - Part II
Classification of Pigments - Part III
Pigments for Oil Painting
Pigments for Water Color
Pigments for Tempera Painting
Pigments for Pastel
Japanese Pigments
Pigments for Fresco Painting - Part I
Pigments for Fresco Painting - Part II
Selected Fresco Palette for Permanent Frescoes
Properties of Pigments in Common Use
Blue Pigments - Part I
Blue Pigments - Part II
Blue Pigments - Part III
Green Pigments - Part I
Green Pigments - Part II
Red Pigments - Part I
Red Pigments - Part II
Yellow Pigments - Part I
Yellow Pigments - Part II
Brown and Violet Pigments
Black Pigments
White Pigments - Part I
White Pigments - Part II
White Pigments - Part III
Inert Pigments
Permanence of Pigments: New Pigments - Part I
Permanence of Pigments: New Pigments - Part II
Limited or Restricted Palettes
Testing of Pigments - Part I
Testing of Pigments - Part II
There have been another one hundred and thirteen posts in a previous Art Resource series that have focused on the following topics:
(i) Units used in dyeing and printing of fabrics;
(ii) Occupational, health & safety issues in an art studio;
(iii) Color theories and color schemes;
(iv) Optical properties of fiber materials;
(v) General properties of fiber polymers and fibers - Part I to Part V;
(vi) Protein fibers;
(vii) Natural and man-made cellulosic fibers;
(viii) Fiber blends and melt spun fibers;
(ix) Fabric construction;
(x) Techniques and woven fibers;
(xi) Basic and figured weaves;
(xii) Pile, woven and knot pile fabrics;
(xiii) Durable press and wash-and-wear finishes;
(xvi) Classification of dyes and dye blends;
(xv) The general theory of printing.
To access any of the above resources, please click on the following link - Units Used in Dyeing and Printing of Fabrics. This link will highlight all of the one hundred and thirteen posts in the previous a are eight data bases on this blogspot, namely, the Glossary of Cultural and Architectural Terms, Timelines of Fabrics, Dyes and Other Stuff, A Fashion Data Base, the Glossary of Colors, Dyes, Inks, Pigments and Resins, the Glossary of Fabrics, Fibers, Finishes, Garments and Yarns, Glossary of Art, Artists, Art Motifs and Art Movements, Glossary of Paper, Photography, Printing, Prints and Publication Terms and the Glossary of Scientific Terms. All data bases in the future will be updated from time-to-time.
If you find any post on this blog site useful, you can save it or copy and paste it into your own "Word" document for your future reference. For example, Safari allows you to save a post (e.g. click on "File", click on "Print" and release, click on "PDF" and then click on "Save As" and release - and a PDF should appear where you have stored it). Safari also allows you to mail a post to a friend (click on "File", and then point cursor to "Mail Contents On This Page" and release). Either way, this or other posts on this site may be a useful Art Resource for you.
The new Art Resource series will be the first post in each calendar month. Remember - these Art Resource posts span information that will be useful for a home hobbyist to that required by a final year University Fine-Art student and so undoubtedly, some parts of any Art Resource post may appear far too technical for your needs (skip those mind boggling parts) and in other parts, it may be too simplistic with respect to your level of knowledge (ditto the skip). The trade-off between these two extremes will mean that Art Resource posts will be hopefully useful in parts to most, but unfortunately may not be satisfying to all!
Testing of Pigments - Part II [1]
Draw-Outs. Another method for comparing the relative color and strength of artists' oil colors, which may be used on prepared tube colors, as well as on dry pigments, is the one which is used by the printing ink trade, which values pigments for their transparent undertones as well as for their top tones or body color. The dry color is weighed out and rubbed up with oil, as in the previous account (see last months blog in this series), or samples may be squeezed out of two tubes of prepared oil colors and placed side by side at the end of a wide flexible wall-scraper.
As in the above figure, the handle is grasped in such a manner that when the blade, loaded at the tip with the two dabs of color, is drawn across a pad of white bond paper, pressure can be controlled. The first part of the stroke is light, and a thick layer is thereby transferred to the paper; after one-half to one inch (1.27 to 2.54 cm) of this has been applied, the knife is held vertically, and with a firm, scraping pressure it is drawn across the paper with a rather rapid stroke, which will produce a thin staining on the paper. By holding this drawn-out against the light, comparison of the two samples is easy, and minute differences in color, clarity, strength, hiding power, etc., may be almost quantitatively estimated. Try this with alizarin lake oil color of known high quality, and a students' grade color made of genuine pigment let down with inert material. An experienced technician can judge the percentage difference or variation quite accurately.
“Scottish Wildcat” oil on canvas panel. Painted with artist-grade paints.
"Blue Dreds" oil on oil-primed panel. Painted with all student paints.
Volumetric Method. The evaluation of artists' paints on the basis of weight is not rational. Artists use their materials by volume rather than by weight and a direct volumetric method of comparing the relative tinctorial strengths of pigments is better suited to the artists' purposes. Also artists will more often wish to compare ready-made oil colors than dry pigments. In a future blog post in this series a standard method will be decribed for the determination of the relative tinctorial strengths of oil colors by volume. Simpler, but less precise methods using less precise devices, such as kitchen measuring spoons, can be devised. The ratio should be 10 parts to 1 part white oil color, and for the very powerful colors, 20 to 1.
Kitchen Measuring Spoons.
Dry Color. Dry pigments are compared by placing small piles side by side, covering them with paper or cellophane, and pressing the paper down firmly and smoothly with a palette knife. When the flattened surface of the combined piles of color is viewed in daylight, the line of demarcation and any differences in shade is easily seen. A drop of turpentine placed where the pigments join will bring out the variation in tone with white or inert pigments.
Palette Knife Set.
Fading. Artist oil colors are tested for color stability in direct outdoor sunlight. Tints do not resist this severe accelerated test to the same degree as do straight pigments, so the original American Paint Standard tests were run in 85% reductions with zinc white as well as in full strength. But since the properties of the accepted pigments are well known, and since any samples that pass the full-strength tests would be acceptable and would not be expected to fade indoors in any reduction, full-strength test alone were deemed adequate. Water colors on rag paper may be exposed in a photographers printing frame in an unobstructed south window (USA), with a strip of black paper or cardboard protecting part of the painted paper for comparison. All such accelerated tests are extremely stringent and provide a wide, safe margin over centuries of actual indoor exposure to diffuse daylight and artificial light.
Yellowing. The accelerated test described in last month's Art Resource post is also used for yellowing.
Hansa yellow light lightfastness samples (2004). After 800+ hours of sunlight exposure: (left to right) Utrecht, Sennelier, Daniel Smith, Schmincke, Da Vinci.
Dyes and Lakes. No paint pigments should be soluble in oil, water, or the volatile solvents. To test for insolubility, dust or blow a small amount on wet white blotting paper. Any solution will be immediately apparent. The same filter paper test is used with soluble dyestuffs to distinguish between single dyes and mixture of dyes.
Lighting. Color comparisons should be viewed in daylight; most of the artificial daylight lamps are unsatisfactory substitutes. Although an even north light (USA) is preferable, in the greater number of cases, direct bright sunlight is sometimes useful in examining blacks and other very dark colors.
Reference:
[1] The Artist's Handbook of Materials and Techniques, R. Mayer (ed. E. Smith) 4th Edition, Faber and Faber, London (1981).
Preamble
For your convenience, I have listed below other posts in this series:
Paisley Patterns - Part I
Paisley Patterns - Part II
Paisley Patterns - Part III
Paisley Patterns - Part IV
Paisley Patterns - Part IV [1]
The first Europeans to take an interest in shawls were the men of the British East India Company. During the middle years of the eighteenth century they began to include a few shawls amongst the gifts they brought back to Britian for their women folk to enjoy and wear. These first shawls were greatly admired on the British fashion scene, and before long, the company found that they were vey much in demand. What had started out as a casual gift soon bcame an important commercial import. One problem still remained, however: shawls were scarce, and by the time they reached Britain they would cost the fashionable lady, who wished to acquire one between £200 and £300. Obviously, only the social élite could afford to own a Kashmire shawl.
Because of the demand for shawls, British manufacturers began to investigate ways of imitating the imports from Kashmir. The first center to produce imitation shawls, however, was not Paisley. Edinburgh trade records show that shawls "in imitation of the Indian," as they were termed, were being woven from 1777. Another weaving center to join the trade was Norwich, which began making shawls in 1784. Paisley, however, was at this time famed for the quality of the silk it produced and had no need to take up a new and as yet untried product.
This seemingly most Scottish of designs, with its tartan background, is actually stamped, 'J. Huntington, Dessinsteur, Paris.'
An 1820s' border in 'Harlequin' style.
A 'Harlequin' border in which the Paisley motifs are alternated with an unusual kind of sunburst design.
This Paisley motif, with its leafy appendage, is so reminiscent of the Great Exhibition style. It actually comes from a folder of sketches for print shawls dated 1851, the year in which the exhibition took place.
An example of 'Harlequin' style border.
Small Paisley motifs on blocks of different color backgrounds go to make up this 'Harlequin' style border design.
In this pattern, the designer J. Huntington of Paris, has experimented with an alternative background for large Paisley motifs.
Design for a silk gauze printed shawl (ca. 1860).
The gauze print shawl design is executed on tissue, and has unusual realistic flowers forming part of the central sprig design.
Reference:
[1] V. Reilly, Paisley Patterns, Portland House, New York (1989).
Preamble
For you convenience I have listed below other posts in this series which were sourced from the book - The Pattern Base [1]:
The Pattern Base by Kristi O'Meara - Book Review
The Art of Lorenzo Nanni
The Geometric Abstract Designs of Kristi O'Meara
Representational Designs of Kristi O'Meara
Geometric Patterns Designed by Patrick Morissey and Jasmin Elisa Guerrero
Fabric Swatches - Part I
Hannah Truran
Fabric Swatches - Part II
Fabric Swatches - Part III
Fabric Swatches - Part IV
Abby Thomas
Charlotte Linton
Charlotte Linton [1]
Charlotte Linton is a London-based designer and illustrator. Born in Rochford, Essex, in the UK, she studied Fashion Print at Central Saint Martins in London and was awarded a Masters in Printed Textiles from The Royal College of Art, London. In 2009, she launched the Charlotte Linton scarf label and has produced seasonal collections that draw inspiration from different global locations.
Charlotte Linton.
Linton's work has developed around the aesthetic and material potential of digitally printed textiles. She considers how such a medium can function as a carrier of content related to the roots of culture in geographically specific traditions, and in people's relationships to the flora and fauna that surround them. Each scarf has a strong visual identity that is largely illustrative, colorful and suggestive of an on-going narrative. They are designed using a combination of hand-drawn and painted illustrations, and feature digital media techniques.
A Charlotte Linton scarf.
As a child, Linton had a keen interest in archaeology, ethnography, and zoology. She created her fictional muse, Ermantrude, to collect research and take field notes on her travels across continents. Her Ermantrude's Travels documents these zoological expeditions with imagery that often finds its way back into her scarf designs.
Some motifs that feature on her scarf designs.
Some motifs that feature on her scarf designs.
Since graduating, Linton has been a semi-finalist with Fashion Fringe, London, and has worked with designers such as Paul Smith, Hussein Chalayan and Chloe. Alongside her scarf collections, she has produced a number of seasonal clothing and accessories for US retailer Anthropologie, under the label Zoologist by Charlotte Linto. Her work has been featured in such publications as L'Officiel (Paris), The Times, Design Bureau, Arise magazine - just to name a few! Her work has appeared on websites such as vogue.com, refinery29.com, dailycandy.com and coolhunting.com.
Some motifs that feature on her scarf designs.
Some motifs that feature on her scarf designs.
Some motifs that feature on her scarf designs.
Some motifs that feature on her scarf designs.
A fashionable scarf.
Reference:
[1] The Pattern Base, Kristi O'Meara (Ed. A. Keiffer) Thames & Hudson (2015).
Title and Year of Creation: Untitled (2012).
Helen Grogan, Shelley Lasica, Anne-Marie May, INSIDE VIANNE AGAIN (2013).
Michelle Hamer, Can't (2013).
Treahna Hamm, Cummeragunjah, Breast Plate 2 (2005).
The Fall (no. 9), 2012.
