Thursday 17 January 2013

Missing my roots
















I am feeling very nostalgic this week and have been looking over some of my old sketchbooks.
As you all know, I trained as a printed textile designer. After 5 years in a print room trying to find my style I wonder how I would be at printing now.
I was very messy and had no structure or neatness when I printed. Everything was a happy accident. I wanted the element of surprise when I printed. Not knowing how it was going to look was how I created. Too many people plan their designs perfectly. Quite often their expectations were not met. I ended up with five bag fulls of samples that I loved for their imperfection. Although, when I was asked to recreated them I never could.
I will always look to textiles as my inspiration for my stationery. At the moment Mina Perhonen brings smiles and excitment to this cold bleak January. His composition, use of colour and nature is so beautiful.
It makes me see that if I really believed in my ability to print clothes I could have achieved this. I remember At Art School I wanted my collection of dresses to have fields of sheep on them. My tutors thought I was mad and said it wouldn't be wearable. I so wish I had the confidence to just do it.
Mina Perhonen breaks all rules and just designs what he wants to. He treats his textiles with tenderness and finesse. I could see any of the above prints on clothes, upholstery, wallpaper and stationery. 
Maybe I will step foot in a print room again.........


1 comment:

  1. a dress with a field of sheep all over it?
    yes please :)
    love the top image
    t x

    ReplyDelete