Creative Process Evaluation for Mixed Media

Creative Process – mixed media evaluation

I have produced a mixed media piece of work following the theme of STITCH. I have used a huge range of different fabrics and threads and I have used acrylic paint. However on top of that I have used wire, leather, beads, shells, elastic, plastic, mesh, sequins, wool, ribbons and probably more things.

I have used a huge range of methods including printing and stamping on fabric, tapestry, tapestry weaving, patchwork, quilting, machine and hand embroidery, beadwork, appliqué, wire knitting, fabric manipulation, couching and for some, I have tried various versions of them.

I will try to analyse how I started my mixed media project with a blank mind and ended up with a piece of original textile art.

Development of my ideas

Ever since my painting module I had been pondering the 21^st Century Kiss. I had surprised myself by what I ended up with in my painting module – each decision I made, I made because it felt right, however the final result was a far cry from what I imagined my painting would be. I was using Gustav Klimt for inspiration and although I did use some “luscious” materials e.g. mock silver leaf and shiny modelling paints, the end result was muted and calm. Personally, I loved the result however I did feel I wasn’t quite finished with the Kiss idea. This feeling was compounded when Siobhan sent me her feedback to the painting module and it was clear that she had also expected something a bit more Klimt like.

For my project I had worked with fabrics – I mono-printed them with the gelli plate and had presented the final results in the form of cushion covers and a wall hanging. I had really enjoyed how I had brought together my learning from my art course with my long term hobby of sewing in different forms. It showed me that I could be far more creative with my sewing and not allow myself to be restricted by fabric choice and my existing skills.

I had picked up a couple of books from a car boot sale last year – “Exploring Textile Arts” by Creative Publishing International 2002 and “The Art of Manipulating Fabrics” by Colette Wolff, Krause Publications 1996. These books appeared to me more like text books than the normal craft books in that the processes they demonstrated are a bit more complex than the normal craft book and, due to being busy with course work, I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to try out some of the methods.

And finally, what I have learned from my time on the Art and Design course, is that there are no rules and there are no rights and wrongs – I could do what I wanted. This doesn’t mean everything I produce will result in a successful piece of art, but everything I produce will result in a lot of learning for me and will further me in my journey to discover the type of art I want to produce.

All these factors led me to plan a mixed media and mixed method piece of textile art of the 21^st Century Kiss.

What I wanted to get out of it

I have made a lot of pieces of textile art or art quilts before and I did not want to show what I was able to do already. I wanted to learn new things and really stretch myself – I wanted to take a risk as I think it is the artists that take risks who have the greater chance of being successful in a satisfying way.

The mixed media approach helped with that as normally I am a fabric and thread type of person. And normally I would stick to cotton fabrics rather than the less well behaved fabrics. Also, normally, I would restrict myself to a few methods e.g. patchwork, quilting and machine embroidery.

My underlying values

I am very keen on using pre-loved, remnants and materials which others may consider waste or no longer with a purpose. I attach value and memories to some fabrics and it is important to me to incorporate e.g. pieces of the dress my granny wore to my mum’s wedding, as that means the piece of textile art becomes so much more than just a piece of art, it becomes a place to store memories.

My aim had been to make this whole piece of art just by using what I had in the house already (I have a lot of stuff!). I have basically done this except I did get tempted by some gold and green wire in Hobbycraft and I needed to replenish my silver paint supplies (although the silver paint didn’t get into the final piece).

I have found over this year that I engage more with my art if it is personal and the subject of The Kiss motivates me hugely and it tells a story – to me, at least.

How I started

I did some research into artists and pieces of art that gave me inspiration. I was drawn towards images which were crammed full of pattern and colour and it was clear that I was heading in that direction – which I found exciting and refreshing as it wasn’t a direction I would normally think to head in. I never want to be put in a box however I could recognise that I was intending to use elements of symbolism (of our relationship and engagement), and art nouveau and the arts and craft movement.

I started by going through all my chests and drawers and pulled out fabrics and haberdashery and anything suitable. I had already decided I was going for the luxurious gaudy look so anything gold and shiny was set aside.

I studied my books and pinterest for ideas and I listed the techniques I could possibly try. I chose a mixture of methods I had used before but also a significant amount of methods which were new to me. I did want to stretch myself and learn new things.

I drew out the composition on a backing piece of calico. I had worked out the composition for my painting project and I was happy with it so I did not change it with the exception of the clothing.

The process

I tend to work from back to front as you work in layers. I work very systematically, problem solving and asking questions all along the way. I had vague unfixed ideas in my head like I wanted to keep the background calm, the foreground busy, the faces muted and the clothes over the top. I also wanted to use different methods for each area. The background did end up being calm and lighter, although it is crammed full of luxury fabrics and shine.

All along I had been aware that the crucial element was the faces and they were the make or break element of the picture. I wanted to simplify them for effectiveness and to reduce the chance of messing them up, however still make them realistic enough. The fabric had to be painted as I didn’t have appropriate colours in my stash. I chose to use the gelli plate as I thought I would get the colour smoother than painting with a brush – and this essentially worked. I limited the colours to six to encourage harmony. I posterized the photograph to help identify the blocks of tones to work out how to appliqué them. I was constantly faced with questions when doing the faces e.g. how will I stitch them, what level of detail will I use. It was so important to get them right. However with the rest of the picture I was far more relaxed and gung ho. I was following the approach of “more is better” rather than “less is more”. I was going for over the top, crammed full of details – a visual assault. I want people to stop and look at it and wonder how I did things and look at it again and see something they didn’t see before. I found that very liberating and it made me feel confident that I could do nothing wrong.

The methods were tried to see if they would work for this picture. Not all made the final version – some of my favourites just didn’t suit e.g. home-made rope. Some had to be scaled down e.g. yoyos and ruffled puffs. I discovered couching which I think looks great and I will use again in the future. It was a lot of fun trying new things and the level of variety has meant that this project has been so un-boring and my attention span has never been threatened.

Knowing when I was done

As I was going for a really full on piece of art I could have just kept on adding things. However if I layered up too much it would have been difficult to see the work done underneath so I stopped when the blank spaces were few and far between and I had run out of ideas for embellishing it. The picture didn’t “tell” me it was finished however I was feeling that it was finished. It felt balanced.

Conclusion

This has been a personal project for me like no other. I have really pushed my boundaries and I have ended up with something I want to look at and I will get pleasure in looking at. It has also opened up for me a way of working which I will carry on to my future. I feel liberated. I also get pleasure from considering the individual materials within the wall hanging, both the memories but also pleasure at knowing I have given things new life.

I find that I adopt Morag’s view around what I might have done differently. I have no regrets and I wouldn’t have done anything differently for this quilt. If I were to do a second one, I will use my learning from this one to expand my approach. I say expand rather than modify, as this project has allowed me to believe that I have complete freedom in whatever I do!