Yesterday I went with a friend to see an exhibition of the textile work of Alice Kettle. We have both been admirers of her work for many years, particularly of her interpretation in stitch of the human figure and her ability to create such rich stitch backgrounds and on a huge scale.
When we got to the exhibition we found that in the few intervening years since we last saw her work, she has changed direction somewhat and is now producing a lot of paper/card collage work; even her figures in textile have taken on a much more loose and free aspect - although she has still this incredibly fluid touch. A lot of the surface stitching is looped with lots of loose ends (the kind of result one would get if one's machine had been playing up and the bobbin thread had come out on the right side.)
Oddly, though, as we drove home and as we talked about her work we had to admit that every artist must follow their own creative progress. In any kind of creative work one has to keep moving forward - in textile work if this were not so we would all still be doing needlepoint.
As Maggi suggests in yesterday's comments - if you want to see Alice Kettle's work do go to her web site and have a look.
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2 comments:
It's always a good day out to see the work of an artist one admires. I must be honest and say I don't appreciate Alice Kettle's work. This comment reminds me of an art exhibition I saw years ago with a marvellous almost abstract painting of Mousehole Harbour in Cornwall. The imagery and light was incredible and I loved it. However, the President's Cup went to another painting which evoked no feeling in me at all. Art is such a personal subject.
Yes-it is a very personal subject. I always try to move forward with my cards - I know looking at my portfolio how things change. I tend to use what I have available - so very much a "use up" approach! lol! Down to earth eh?
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