Off the Loom
Moving from textiles to canvas/paint…
“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.” - F. Scott Fitzgerald
It was life changing for me when I realised, I could be whoever I wanted to be AND I realised I am an artist. First and foremost. And there is no time limit – I can stop and start whenever I want to! There is no rush.
My earliest memory of someone who described themselves as an artist is David Gibbs, a friend of my parents. His wife Jenny was my godmother, her mother Cynthia was my mother’s guardian.
David was an art dealer and Director of Arthur Tooth & Sons in the late 1950’s; a slightly shadowy figure whose face I do still recognise from google!
David moved to the US in the 1960s to pursue his artistic career.
Here is a link to a bio I found for him:
https://www.askart.com/artist/David_Gibbs/11202107/David_Gibbs.aspx
Having read in this bio that he owned a large collection of American abstract art and was co-manager of Jackson Pollock's estate with Lee Krasner, helping to develop a European platform for the artist's work, I am now wondering if I actually saw paintings in his collection as opposed to his own work…
- Sketches by ERTÉ in my home
The first well known ‘artist’ to intrigue me was the Russian-French artist and designer ERTÉ. In 1968 I was travelling in Canada & America with a schoolfriend staying with her and my relatives. We saw an exhibition of his work at the Metropolitan Museum. I remember I was both enthralled and fascinated. When I returned to London I bought a painting from a gallery near where I lived. Some months later I saw the same painting in London at The Grosvenor Gallery, owned by Erté’s Agents, Eric & Salome Estorick. It turned out mine was a copy which Erté confirmed to me in a letter.
The first ‘exhibition’ I attended was Music and Art Ballet Russes in the Royal Academy. The mixture of music, paintings and costume all appealed to me.
I also recall visiting the Cecil Beaton exhibition at the V&A, which a flatmate worked on:
In 1971 Beaton organised an exhibition at the V&A, Fashion: An anthology by Cecil Beaton. He contacted designers and the well-dressed elite of Europe and America to lend a prestigious collection of 20th century haute couture clothing, including a significant number by the Spanish couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga. Many of the lenders to the exhibition, including Vogue editor Diana Vreeland and the Duchess of Windsor, subsequently donated these items to the Museum, greatly enriching our fashion collection.
V&A exhibition poster for Fashion: An Anthology by Cecil Beaton, 1972, England. Museum no. MA/24/85. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The exhibition was designed by Michael Haynes, who gave me a Perspex painting, which maybe inspired the underpainting pictures I made at Seawhites Studio many years later…
I also enjoyed visiting exhibitions at Austin Desmond, a gallery started and run by a friend.
Today, to support my artistic growth and development, I have a large art library featuring lots of female artists which I often refer to. This includes several books about Prunella Clough whom I have long admired; I find her many different creative methods inspirational. I was once told I look like her. Also Margaret Mellis, known for varied artwork including paintings on envelopes and collages/sculpture made from discarded wood often found on beaches.
I recently saw Action, Gesture, Paint at the Whitechapel Gallery and was reminded how much I am drawn to work by Sandra Blow; several of her canvases were amongst the amazing collection of artworks from around the globe.
One person who I feel significantly influenced my artistic journey is Francesca Clarke. A friend suggested she could tutor the weekly life drawing sessions I organised in our Boathouse. She did this for a couple of years until I left College in 1998. As a consequence of this time we became friends, sharing art experiences, walking together, visiting exhibitions as well as holding the “Franstastic” exhibition in the 2by4 Studios, Denne Road, Horsham. Early on Francesca said I was a Fine Artist, which confused me as I’d just graduated as a weaver!
Attending the Emily Ball at Seawhite Contemporary Painting Courses over the past 20 + years has been a real bonus. This is run by Emily Ball who has influenced myself and many other fellow artists.
Today I embody the concept of being an artist in a myriad of ways:
Clothes
Behaviour
Pastimes
Activities
Conversations
Friends
Cooking
Home layout
The way I garden
My transition from loom to canvas really began back in 1999 when a friend recommended a Basket exhibition at the Crafts Centre. I was intrigued especially when I discovered one of the exhibitors, Jackie Binns, held classes in her studio in Steyning, close to our home. I joined the courses in Steyning as well as many Jackie taught at West Dean. I found weaving and making 3d objects with willow was freeing, the smell of the soaked stems, the pliability.
All so different to the balanced weaving I’d learnt at college
My transition is still happening today - I feel I am part way along the journey.
The next step in my journey is to let go of weaving completely or incorporate it into my work even more….
It’s an exciting prospect - what will come next.
