Elizabeth Brimelow- Devon Red (detail)
Elizabeth Brimelow - Winter Wheat (detail)
Elizabeth Brimelow -Fen
Elizabeth Brimelow- Shingle 1 & 2
Elizabeth Brimelow - Elseworth
A wonderful day on Saturday based around Contemporary Quilt AGM . An early start (8.30!) meeting Sue for breakfast at Cafe Freddo (excellent coffee); some retail therapy at Muji and Paperchase; catching up with friends and seeing all the JQ's on display; work of Mathew Harris at CAA on the way home. Most of all it was a privilege to hear Elizabeth Brimelow talk about her quilts ; to look through her sketchbooks and handle her quilts (images here are from Quilt Art website and Quilt National Catalogues).
I was stunned by her work when I last heard her speak at a 'Celebrity Quilt Lecture' many years ago, with her emphasis on drawing, drawing , drawing but have even more of an appreciation now as her work has grown and developed even further.
Lots to think about:
- being adamant she is a quiltmaker not a textile artist
- art as an expression of self with the message recognised by the viewer, a 2 way process.
- cloth itself adding another dimension , not just the medium on which an image is placed
- making the most of the tactile qualities of cloth (especially wool) , its drape and bias
- horizon lines
- the importance of edges
- variety of hand stitches - knots, tufts, ends carefully left
- looking for the marks that keep making, making drawings of drawings , monoprints
- both sides are equally important, they make an integrated cloth
Hilary introduced me to Elizabeth as both having quilts in 'acCent' exhibition in Paducah - she was so kind and gracious but although my work may hang beside hers I've a very, very long way to go.
Sometimes when you see and hear about the work of someone of Elizabeth's stature, you want to give up as you would never achieve anything like as good. Perhaps it was because she was talking so much about process but I didn't feel like giving up , instead she has inspired me to get back to my sketchbooks and draw and draw and try and see what my unique marks are
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