ISABEL HOWLETT
[email protected]
  • Paintings
  • Home
  • About
  • Shop
  • Showreel
  • read
  • Cart

Building the Statue of Liberty

24/2/2013

1 Comment

 
I saw this photograph whilst watching Robert Hughes' American Visions and he was talking about the Statue of Liberty. Loved the surreal vision of her arm scooping up the workers.
Picture
Workmen constructing the Statue of Liberty in Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi's studio in 1882.
Picture
1 Comment

Prototype Lampshades

18/2/2013

0 Comments

 
Here is a sneak preview of some of the shades I am making. I'm really pleased with the colours and the cotton linen has a lovely texture. In the background you can see the painting that inspired one of the first patterns I created from my 50's textiles inspired artwork. My interest has gone full cycle and it is incredibly satisfying to finally have my own fabric and potential products to share. The bottom shade is made with my 50's lamp fabric which I have also had printed onto a silk scarf which I was wearing yesterday when out to meet a friend. After examining it he picked out 3 different lamps from the design that he actually owns! He named each designer and told me where in his house each lamp was which was rather coincidental (I have never been to his house - it's in LA). I didn't even know which designers lamps I had recreated in my doodle. I recall the day I drew that motif, I was scanning a book on Fifties design, closed it and put pen to paper to see what happened. I didn't want to risk doing a direct copy, it was always supposed to be a loose interpretation but it seems I stuck pretty close to the original designs.
Picture
Picture
0 Comments

Hammer Prints

8/2/2013

1 Comment

 
Picture
Hammer Prints
Last Saturday I took a trip out of London to see an exhibition at Firstsite Gallery in Colchester showing the work of Nigel Henderson and Eduardo Paolozzi, who collaborated to form Hammer Prints Ltd in 1954. Hammer Prints produced silk screened prints, wallpaper, ceramics and textiles. The two artists were also involved with the Independent Group at that time and went against the fashion of the 50's for the neo romantic revival of the country's rural heritage to produce strong distorted abstract expressionistic imagery. As they stated: "It is the object of Hammer Prints Ltd that an attack be made on the craft field using the silk-screen as the media to be exploited." 
I was struck by the boldness of the work and the heavy application of ink. Most of the designs were black and white. They applied a lighter touch to the ceramics and some of the textiles, incorporating botanical and marine illustrations. It's really quite a contrast to the 50's style I am familiar with and they weren't commercially successful which is probably why I had never heard of their collaboration. The exhibition which is free runs until March 3rd. If you go at the weekend you'll no doubt also see a large group of emo teenagers hanging out there las they obviously have nowhere else to go in Colchester town (my sister said she saw them there a few weeks earlier too!).
1 Comment

    Author

    Lover of pattern and colour. I create my own designs, products and paintings.

    Archives

    October 2020
    August 2020
    June 2018
    December 2016
    November 2016
    March 2016
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    December 2013
    June 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    November 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012

    showreel

    Categories

    All
    Artist
    Bauhaus
    Brockley Mess
    Cueb Gallery
    Eastbourne
    Ecat
    Eversley Court
    Interview
    Kitty Ferreira
    Loneliness
    Poetography
    Robert Hughes
    Ron. L. Zheng
    Shock Of The New
    Solitary

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.