Inspiration: Kirsty Whitlock

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Check out the work of mixed media textile artist Kirsty Whitlock. She takes inspiration from political cartoons, news headlines and documentries and uses recycled and reclaimed materials to challenge 'throwaway culture'. She uses machine embroidery to add imagery and text to her found materials to transform the meaning of the material, like in the pieces above 'Bags of Aggro' and 'Tomorrow the World'. You can read more about Kirsty and her work here and see her portfolio here. 

Inspiration: The City

one Clare Toughs Graduate Collection, two Freddie Robins 'Knitted Homes of Crime', three 'Vertical' Sharon Elphick, four 'Letter Landscape 9' Jette Clover, five 'Trellick Tower' People Will Always Need Plates, six 'A Tale of Two Cities' Charlene Mullen

These are a few artists/designers who have taken inspiration from 'The City' when creating their work. Our AS students last year used the same them so if you have a look back through old posts you'll find previous posts that might relate to your project or give you inspiration; like these posts about Matthew Harris and Hella Jongerius who both create textile wall hangings!

Inspiration: Megan Whitmarsh

Junk Wall, 2010, 80"x50", embroidery thread, fabric, batting, vinyl and yarn 

Neon Constellation, 2011, Embroidery Threads, Spraypaint, Marker and Fabric

Megan Whitmarsh creates these incredible mixed media wall hangings using everything from spray paint and markers to fabric adding touches of detail with intricately embroidered sections.  Her website showcases the full range of her work from the 90s right up to now and also has a great selection of press articles. To find out more about Megan's work why not watch this interview Giant Robot Magazine did with her back in March 2010. 

Inspiration: Jane Deschner

Artist Jane Descher creates these beautiful pieces from found photographs. She embroiders quotes from writers, musicians and philosophers onto the photos, as well as using the photographs as fabric to construct garments like the pieces above. Last September she was featured in Fiberarts Magazine and she described her practice as apporpriating everything, "Photographs taken by others; words spoken by others; fonts and embroidery stitches created  by others. My contribution is to gather, then combine these disparate elements into something more than the sum of their parts" you can read the full article, here. 

Inspiration: Abigail Brown

Textile Designer Abigail Brown creates these wonderful birds out of scraps of fabric. She describes herself as "a continuous collector of fabrics, either bought new or used items she gathers to five new life to. Her pieces might be formed from her old pyjamas, someone's curtains from the 1970" Each piece is unique as her work is all handmade, hand sewn by Abigail herself. Her work has been well recieved and has been featured in Vogue, Elle and Selvedge just to name a few, have a look at the press section of her site for more articles and features. 

Inspiration: Donya Coward

I adore the work of textile artist Donya Coward who creates these beautiful 'Textile Taxidermy' pieces heavily embellished with beads and sequins. They are stunning!

Inspiration: Roadkill Couture

Brighton based artists Jess Eaton and Jon Nott have collaborated to create a range of interior and design products made from  roadkill, I particularly like their 'Roadkill Couture' collection. If your ever in Brighton a visit to their studio/shop is a must!

Inspiration/Tutorial: Sarah Terry

image source, 'Home Invasion' hand embroidery on reclaimed linen 

Textile Artist Sarah Terry who works predominantly using hand embroidery. Her current work explores the concept of 'disturbing domesticity' using place mats and doilies and stitching bugs, insects and spiders onto them. She describes the insects as 'a metaphor for the malaise that can lie beneath the facade of a seemingly happy home'. 

She's made an amazing tutorial to make your own insect embroidery! You can download the worksheets and templates here. 

Inspiration: Aldo Lanzini

Aldo Lanzini caused a bit of a stir at this years S/S Missoni Catwalk show when 30 ushers wore his crochet masks as they lead people to their seats. His masks are beautiful and combine vibrant colours with unusual shapes and forms, Lanzini described his pieces in Vogue Italia as "the condition of contemporary man, some kind of conscious schizophrenia" You can see pictures of the masks at the Missoni show here and Aldo Lanzini's full portfolio, here.

Sarah Applebaum

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I am completely head over heels in love with the work of Sarah Applebaum! 

Exhibition: Tracey Emin at the Hayward Gallery

image source, photo credit: David Levene

The Tracey Emin exhibition at the Hayward Gallery is well worth a visit, if only for her blanket pieces. They are an amazing example of applique. If you're thinking of creating quilts, wall hangings, flags or canvas pieces this exhibition is a must see!  

When: now till August 29th 2011 

Where: The Hayward Gallery

Cost: £12 or £9 (students)

Inspiration and Exhibition: Kate Terry

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Kate Terry creates these wonderful installations using threads and pins. Each length of thread is installed by hand and must be place in precisely the right place the create these wonderful shapes. Her current exhibition moves away from her thread pieces demonstrating her skills in creating stunning sculptural objects. The exhibition is on now until July 10th at the IMT Gallery, the gallery is open 12-6 Thursday-Sunday and until 9pm on the first Thursday of the month.  In collaboration with the exhibition abstract critical have video interviewed Kate discussing the work in her studio and you can view the videos here. 

Inspiration: Lisa Solomon

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Lisa Solomon is an amazing artist whose work spans embroidery, drawing, installation and more. Her work often depicts domestic scenes in soft pastel colours and includes a doily or two. You can read more about the ideas behind her work here and her blog gives an amazing insight into her practise.

Inspiration: Jessica Ginsberg

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How beautiful are these yarn installations by artist Jessica Ginsberg?

Inspiration: Juliana Santacruz Herrera

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Juliana Santacruz Herrera has taken a stand against cracks in the pavement in Paris by filling them with colourful strips of fabric. Aren't they wonderful? She also make this beautiful video of one of the pieces being installed. 

Inspiration: Ausra Osipaviciute

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London based photographer Ausra Osipaviciute has created these embroidered photographs, which remind of pieces by Maurizio Anzeri but with more of a fashion edge. You can find more images on Trendland as well as Ausra Osipaviciute's own site. 

Inspiration: Maurizio Anzeri

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‘I work with sewing, embroidery and drawing to explore the essence of signs in their physical manifestation. I take inspiration from my own personal experience and observation of how, in other cultures, bodies themselves are treated as living graphic symbols. I then use sewing and embroidery in a further attempt to re-signify, and mark the space with a man-made sign, a trace. I am interested in people’s stories and histories, and the relation between intimacy and the outer world. I have been working with hair for the past few years. I stitch and sew hair together until it becomes a sculpture. I see hair as a metaphorical medium to represent bodily boundaries, the embodiment of space.’ Maurizio Anzeri

Maurizio Anzeri brings together vintage photographs from the 1920s and 30s with intricate embroidery to create these wonderful, slightly creepy, pieces. The photographs are on display at the Baltic Centre in Newcastle so if you happen to be up there it's well worth a visit! There's also more images of the pieces on Trendland and an interview with the artist on Don't Panic. 

Inspiration: a crochet room

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New York based artist Agata Olek has installed her latest creation 'Knitting is for Pus***'  at the Christopher Henry Gallery in New York - a crocheted apartment! Agata Olek is particularly renowned for her guerilla installations like the jumper she made for the Wall Street Bull back in December 2010. Check out the different galleries on her website and her blog for more information and inspiration.  

Inspiration: Tilleke Schwarz

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Tilleke Schwarz describes her work 'as a kind of visual poetry'. Her embroideries tell stories in a way that draws the viewer in, and pushes them to create their own narrative within the work. Her website is wonderfully playful and also includes a gallery of drawings on paper which are worth looking at to inspire your own initial drawings. Her FAQ provides a great insight to her practise!

Inspiration: Matthew Harris

Matthew Harris 'Lantern Cloth No.1' detail image source

For students currently working on flags or wall hangings the work of artist Matthew Harris may be inspiring. His work explores drawing, hand stitching, dying and cutting fabrics.

His paper works could be particularly inspiring when thinking about different approaches to your observational drawing work.