Be inspired by an artist or designer
The first artist that has helped me with inspiration in this part of the course is Matisse. While reading a blog about another student ( https://www.oca.ac.uk/weareoca/creative-arts/student-work-elizabeth-venn/) , the name Matisse just jumped out at me and wondered why I had not thought of this before as I realised the his collages might be a fantastic inspiration for my own , which I felt had been a bit of a weakness in Part three of this course.
This research and analysis led to my interpreting the motifs I had isolated in a Matisse-like way, using prepainted sheets of gouache, firstly in quite a crowded and layered composition:
And secondly, in a more spaced out composition, with the motifs radiating from a point at the centre bottom of the image, similar to The Sheaf:
This inspiration by Matisse came about incidentally, as I was trying to develop a full range of visual research, whereas I had already chosen another, more contemporary, artist as inspiration for this part of the course: Inga Liksaite (http://inga.liksaite.com/; accessed 8 September 2019).
I initially started this research after reading an article about her on TextileArtist.org
https://www.textileartist.org/inga-liksaite-the-language-of-line and found that the artwork she produces and her simple and unpretentious philosophy appealed to me.
In particular, she has reminded me that is it possible to create art with a limited palette of resources, developing ideas from pencil and paper to simple fabric and stitch.
What types of textiles and tools did you use at the start of your artistic journey?
There was nothing very special about my environment or the materials with which I worked. I used ordinary fabrics and minimal choices of yarns, paints, and brushes. I started with a decent amount of supplies, there was a time when I could not afford more. That lack was a kind of impulse that challenged me to generate quality and value with what I had. So, I used whatever I could get easily, and the rest was creativity.
https://www.textileartist.org/inga-liksaite-the-language-of-line; accessed 8 September 2019.
She has a very down-to-earth approach to herself as an artist:
What was your route to becoming an artist?
Knowing when to start calling oneself an ‘artist’ was always a serious challenge for me. There wasn’t ever a clear line between my artistic work and my personal life.
I did study art, but I wasn’t a very good student. Classic art studies bored me. I was a maker from the very beginning, so I wanted to try and experiment by myself instead of learning advanced things.
I didn’t really know who or what I wanted to become. But I knew I wanted to create. I wanted to immerse myself in a process with stuff. I followed my gut feelings and had no special plan.
Still, I tried many paths to be a designer, fashion maker, school teacher, and shop display designer. And I’ve tried various kinds of jobs. I think the mixture of those circumstances helped bring me to where I am now.
I also don’t particularly describe myself as a ‘textile’ artist. Textile is only the dominating medium.+
https://www.textileartist.org/inga-liksaite-the-language-of-line; accessed 8 September 2019.
I found that a lot of what she had to say was relevant to the earlier question of experimentation, a cyclical process that I am starting to develop myself, by sketching and mark making, creating something from that, then sketching again the items I have made.
Tell us about your process from conception to creation
For my work, knowing the timing between ‘conception’ and ‘creation’ is as challenging as knowing which comes first…the chicken or the egg!
All my work sprouts from previous work. I am constantly recalling old sketches and using them to develop some new quality. I make things continuously, and in between, I crystallize some parts that especially intrigue me.
https://www.textileartist.org/inga-liksaite-the-language-of-line; accessed 8 September 2019.
I find this process of evolution to be like a spiral moving moving onwards and forwards, then coming back in order to move forward once more and have tried to apply this thinking to my work on the part of the course.
Every object has a prototype, is a remake and becomes a prototype for the next one.
https://www.saatchiart.com/Ingali; accessed 8 September 2019.
In particular, I found her advice for aspiring textile artists very inspiring:
Well, I would only give advice only if one asks for a special situation. But in general, I would say ‘You know everything!’
https://www.textileartist.org/inga-liksaite-the-language-of-line; accessed 8 September 2019.
I plan to use some of her techniques during the development of my own textile concepts.
