Art in the Frame Foundation is delighted to have been introduced to the exciting and innovative work of textile artist Amanda Hislop. This month she is exhibiting alongside local and Guernsey artists in their first major exhibition of 2017 at The Harbour Gallery.
The theme of the exhibition, Changing Surfaces, will be depicted in paint, print, jewellery, ceramics, photography, mixed media and textiles. Whilst here Amanda is also running a series of workshops, ahead of her trip to the island Amanda tells us a little about herself and her work.
My background is in art and textile teaching, I have a degree in woven textiles with painting and a PGCE in visual arts, which led to a career in art teaching; following a change in direction in 2008 due to redundancy, which I now view in a positive light, I launched myself as a ‘textile artist’ combining all the things I enjoy, painting, drawing, stitching and sharing my skills. Alongside my ‘making’ I run workshops for groups and guilds.
My ‘Sketchbooks as a rich resource’ workshop has proved particularly popular; I use a sketchbook to capture thoughts and images from the landscape around me, the drawings are often quick rapid responses to things observed and noted from visual memory. I use these sketchbooks as a resource to expand ideas through playing with art materials in ‘working sketchbooks’ that I develop over time to store and catalogue my samples and drawings. In the sketchbook workshop we explore approaches to drawing which breaks down the barrier of the phrase ‘I can’t draw’ through an expressive approach to mark making as a visual language to respond to themes and ideas. Drawing is a loose term to be explored through various media including paper collage, a thoroughly good excuse to mess about and play with art materials!
One of my first commitments in February 2017 is three day workshops on Friday 24, Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 February, at The Harbour Gallery in Jersey, my flights are booked and sketchbook ready for sea views and inspiration! Whilst the workshops are fully booked I’d welcome people to come down and view the groups working and creating.
I have also signed a contract with the art and crafts publishers Search Press to write a book in their stitched textile series on a seascape theme. Whilst I have a good collection of seascape inspiration in sketchbooks and workbooks, I relish the thought of trips to the coast in the name of research! The publication date of May 2019 seems a long way away, I know from experience I must use the time wisely and get on with preparing the contents!
