MARIE GODFREY ONLINE DIARY

Tag: artist

  • Casually Placed Metal

    Yes Casually Placed Metal would make a great band name …. But I am trying to describe this area of inspiration and am having some difficulty explaining my thoughts. As a trained metalsmith I obviously have some infinity with all types of metal. I am particularly fond of pieces of metal that have been casually stored, for example on a building site, surplus metal laid down waiting to be used or put to one side and forgotten about. I love seeing the random patterns that these pieces of metal create ( seeing a lorry stacked with lengths of metal is extremely exciting!). I think that I am interested in the exciting geometric patterns that are randomly generated by someone who has no idea what art form they have accidentally created.

    For example this stack of rusted metal that I spotted this evening in Rock Cornwall. I wonder what this metal is actually used for? I wonder who put it there? Dumped with other random building objects by the sea. The pattern that the pieces of metal jumped right out at me – isn’t it interesting. The colour too is deep and warm. I can see the textile possibilities that might be created from the this beautiful discarded metal.

    THE TEXTILE ARTIST – ANNEKE KLEIN

    Whilst researching metal as an inspiration for textile art I came across ANNEKE KLEIN. It was very interesting to me to see that my journey to textiles and weaving directly mirrored that of Klein. I wonder how many other metalsmiths have this reaction to working with metal? I honestly thought it was only me !!!!

    KLEIN says that she works in miniature due to her training as a goldsmith.

    I absolutely love the grid structure of Klein’s work and the neutral colour scheme is extremely calming. Her work has a fragile aesthetic, weaving in loose white cotton with over weaves or embroidery in black and neutrals placed in a grid pattern. Thoughtful, structured work, carefully planned but whose regimentation is softened by the different embellishment that she has sewn into the grids.

    image from artsy.net

    The above work is called FAMILY 2022

    Hemp, cotton, linen, acrylic paint

    Anneke Klein describes her own work on the website http://www.oogappelhandweverijj.nl

    My passion 

    Self expression through weaving came about after wrestling with cold hard materials during my education as a goldsmith. Because my heart chose the warmth, softness and comfort of yarns, I retrained quickly in weaving techniques.

    Using basic weaving techniques I create a variety of shapes, textures and structures. It is an ever growing process, an investigation, a translation, as if looking through a symbolic lens at the everyday and the things that touch me emotionally. With a fascination for rhythm and repetitions.

    Working with a variety of materials and colours and with a love for simplicity, shape and activity, I develop both unique wearables and spatial creations often with a combination between form and function.

    With my wearables I try to bring a sensual experience by an interaction between person and material and to achieve an almost tangibility to the space in between.

    My objects are an interplay between the woven structure and the unforeseen additions and/or manipulation of the material which then shows an emotional content and causes a reaction. Often fueled by a social impact with its authority and fragility.

  • FEATHERS

    Another area that I am thinking about researching and using as inspiration for my work is feathers.

    This particular feather found on a walk was a mixture of neutral colours and hues. On first sight it looked very ordinary but on closer inspection there were some very interesting markings especially the river of translucent cream that ran vertically on one side.

    There are many textile artists who have taken inspiration from feathers. Here are a few examples of artists who have worked with the concept of feathers.

    Janaina Milheiro

    According to the webpage homofaber.com Janaïna creates textiles and sculptures from feathers. She actually creates her work using feathers.

    She has developed a very personal, innovative approach

    She mainly creates work for luxury goods, fashion and interior design

    Janaïna Milheiro stumbled upon featherwork quite by chance. At textile design school she was encouraged to collect materials. When the moment came to start her end of year diploma work, she delved into her collection and picked out feathers, using them to create a series of small fabrics. Her journey with feathers then unfolded very organically, through experimentation. “I started to work the feathers by weaving and embroidering them,” she says. “Weaving helped me discover this material.” Following her studies, she presented these pieces at a Paris exhibition dedicated to exceptional textiles, kick-starting her career.

    Deborah Kruger

    This textile artist uses feathers from endangered birds as her inspiration – not the actual feathers but feathers made from recycled plastic bags. Kruger’s work is extremely colourful and she creates pieces of all scales. I particularly like this red and blue vessel shape that she has created.

    Image Credits
    Carlos Diaz Corona

    Kate MccGwire

    Kate MccGwire works with actual feathers to create large scale bulbous, flowing sculptures. She often uses pidgeon feathers sourced from pidgeon racers who gather up dropped feathers. Apparently Kate likes the fact that initially viewers to her work are astounded by it but then when they find out what the work is made from are repulsed by it.

    ”But are often perturbed and revolted when they understand what the material is,” which is exactly her intention. By juxtaposing the raw materials with the finished artwork, she asks viewers to consider the everyday beauty that’s often overlooked. Www.thisiscolossal.com

    Joana Vasconcelos

    Why Feathers Inspire Textile Artists

    • Delicate texture & movement – softness, lightness, and motion.

    • Symbolism – freedom, spirituality, transformation, nature.

    • Textural contrast – airy fragility vs. structural textiles.

    • Material innovation – natural feathers or reconstructed alternatives open creative pathway

    When thinking about using feathers as a source of inspiration I am not thinking about using the actual feathers. It is the delicacy, softness, airy fragility, transparency which inspires me. Whilst taking the top images I was taken aback by how delicate the feather was.

  • In the beginning…..

    Cornwall August 2025

    Not usually one to start preparing for anything early but here I am trying to master WordPress. It’s not my first rodeo with WordPress and I do not find it intuitive but I’ll give it another go. Let’s start off the first module of the OCA Textile degree with a very positive attitude. I can do it –

    My name is Marie Godfrey and I am spending the summer at our house in Cornwall – well why not – but soon it will be time to go back to the suburbs of London. I have spent my time here walking our dog and taking in the serenity and astounding beauty of the Cornish coastline.

    Being surrounded by a palette of coastal colours, blues, greens, earthy neutrals is calming to the soul. Of course the colours change dramatically depending on the time of day, the sunlight and the weather. The colours of Cornwall are not without their splashes of zingy bold colours – little boats on the sea painted in red and white, windbreaks in their merry stripes and bold jaunty swimming costumes of the people brave enough to venture into the cold waters. Sometimes the seascape becomes shimmering liquid silver when a watery sunlight is shining through grey clouds onto the sea and sometimes the water is a deep turquoise The myriad of different colours and hues are of course inspirational. Many contemporary artists find inspiration for their beautiful work from our coastline as have generations of artists throughout time. This genuinely concerns me. I seriously wonder how it is possible to make unique work when so many talented crafts people have already used coastal features, seaside artefacts, coastal colour pallets in their work.

    Louise Day is a visual artist living and working in Argyll on the West coast of Scotland. According to her website http://www.louiseday.co.uk Louise uses “drawing, textile and watercolour to create works inspired by the natural forms of my beautiful local environment.”

    The above images are textiles created by Louise Day using the Sea as inspiration. She doesn’t give the textiles names or not that I can see anyway. The colours that she uses are beautiful – water like and painterly. The textiles appear to be prints some with surface embroidery. Sadly I haven’t see these textiles in person so am just making assumptions based on the images that Louise has shown on her website.

    Why is my first chosen artist in my online diary Louise Day?

    It’s definitely something to do with the depth of colour she has used and the small details of neutrals or whites that serve as a contrast to lift the deeper colours and also to highlight them.