PE task - Sampling Evaluation

Through-out the embroidery unit I have had the chance to explore many different types of stitch that I was previously unaware of in response to the theme of ‘data’. Throughout a project I think they key is to keep researching, you need a constant supply of inspiration in order to develop fresh ideas, so this is exactly what I did.

Lydia Kerr - light photography (left) Becky Ayre (Right- top, middle and bottom) - my initial images.

I took inspiration from many photographers for the initial part of my research, looking not only at light photography but motion photography too. A photographer that really inspired me was Jan Masny. His motion images of ballet dancers are beautiful. Although I didn't have the opportunity to take my own images of dancers I think his images inspired me not just on a photographic level, but when working on my drawings. I noticed that the movement in the images I had taken was the aspect that I found most interesting, and so I tried to translate this into my drawings, using water and ink to achieve a fluid motion with blurred lines.

 

Unknown artist - Ink mark making (left) Becky Ayre - (Right - top, middle and bottom) - my mark making drawings using ink and water.

 

Drawing is an important part of development as it fuels your ideas in relation to shapes, texture and the overall mood to your work. My whole drawing process has been mark making based, capturing energy and movement, similar to many abstract artists I have looked at including; Mark Lewis, Helen Beasley and I Wayan Sudarsana Yansen an Indonesian abstract artist that paints from the heart as a form of meditation. I think a lot of mark making drawing has a vague similarity in that it is fairly spontaneous and robust and so I think the relationship between my work and the artists is an inevitable one, yet still admirable and inspirational.

 

 

Jean-Pierre Braganza - Spring RTW 2014 (left) Becky Ayre (Right - top, middle and bottom) close ups of my embroidery samples.

 

Using the photographs and drawings I created from the theme of data and inspiration from all of the artist’s work I had seen I then started with creating samples. Learning something new every week, taking and adapting the successes into the next week, in order to build and develop my samples. Inspiration for my samples came from embroidery artist’s Clay McLaurin, Andrea farina and ‘SometimesISwirl’, on top of all the paintings, mark makings and photographs from various sources (including Pinterest).

The image above of Jean-Pierre Braganza’s fashion collection is contextual research I found. I think the overall aesthetics of my samples relate to this specific collection of garments, and I think through further development this is one of the routes I could see my work travelling towards. The contrasting colours, bold graphic lines and mix of sheer and solid fabrics overall are a similar mix that I have strived to incorporate into my work.

Overall I think that the most valuable lessons I have learnt through this unit is that inspiration really can come from anywhere, and also  not to try and translate things identically, when moving from drawings to samples sometimes it’s better to just capture the overall essence rather than an exact likeness.

Also below is a link to my Pinterest board that I have created through the duration of this project, using it as my go to inspiration - with similar effect to a mood board.

Becky Ayre - Sampling Unit (Embroidery)