Conversations with Textiles - I

In advance of our exhibition we asked all of our members to describe their Conversations with Textiles. We are linking this with an Instagram week when that artist will share some of their process and work. @curious_threads

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Liz Maddock

My conversations are heavily influenced by my travels, both home and abroad. They are influenced by peoples and landscape, by architecture, by colour, texture, sound, taste and smell. Yes, even smell – the scent of pipe smoke on a tweed jacket, or Indian spices on muslin.

The conversations are growing as I explore the world of textile art, having come from a background of dressmaking and home furnishings. I’ve always loved colour, texture and natural fabrics, relying on others to supply the fabrics. Now the conversations come from my own hand and I’m both challenged and delighted by my interactions with the textiles.

My conversations tend to start in a garbled way. Too many images, (too many travel photographs), too many ideas. I’m learning to find my way through the noise, to distil those conversations into a pleasing product. I’ve learned that I should simplify. But part of the conversation is asking ‘What if I don’t want to simplify? What’s my own conversation?’ I’m still finding out.
The conversation I always return to is a deep and profound joy found through textiles. I’m fascinated by the variations in textile manufacture and embellishment around the world. I love to feel connected to people through time as we’ve stitched through the ages and around the globe.

I hope that my conversations with my own textile art also bring a sense of joy to others.

Liz Maddock