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Wendy Dolan talk on Art, Architecture and Stitch



I had a lovely evening at Chiltern Embroidery and Textile Group in Tylers Green earlier in the week, it was good to be back there after giving my own talk back in March. I took my Mum and a friend to see a talk given by Wendy Dolan on 'Art, Architecture and Stitch' which was right up my street! Wendy is a textile artist who uses fabrics and threads to create textured designs with some wonderful results. I have met Wendy several times before as she is from Sussex (where I grew up) and we also have some mutual friends.

 

Wendy's talk covered how she develops her work from sketchbooks through to her final designs and she showed us photographs that had inspired her from a variety of places such as Barcelona and Venice. My work is also very sketchbook led so I could easily identify with her thought process. I am also drawn to textures but Wendy's work differs from mine in that she starts with plain coloured fabrics, stitch and thread - creating interest through layering and textures - and adds colour later on.


These are some examples of her work that have been developed from sketches and translated on to fabric. Wendy very kindly showed us stage by stage samples of her practice to help us understand how she works.


I also have a copy of Wendy's wonderful book 'Layer, Paint and Stitch' which is brilliant and really shows her process and how she puts her pieces together, I would definitely recommend it.


One of my favourite pieces is The interpretation of the Royal Pavilion in Brighton. I did an Art Foundation year in Worthing in the late 80s and spent many a weekend in Brighton so it is very familiar to me.

       

Wendy also talked about her commission work including this enormous 'Aspiring Arches' piece  which is a Millennium wall hung textile for the entrance hall of Ashridge in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. This piece is a whopping 8.13m x 3.42m and must have been exhausting to handle, apparently the project lasted a few years which is not really suprising considering the scale of it.


I always find it interesting to see other artists work and it has certainly inspired me to get my sketchbook out, I'm just trying to decide on a theme, as always, I have too many ideas!

If you are interested in seeing more of Wendy's work she has a website www.wendydolan.co.uk
 You can also find Chiltern Textile and Embroidery Group at www.chilterntextiles.co.uk

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