Artist's Statement
I originally studied metalwork whilst at university in Wolverhampton, but since moving to Leicester in 2000 I have been developing my skills as a textile designer-maker, a natural choice of medium for me as I have been sewing and making my own clothes since my early teens.
I use machine embroidery and appliqué techniques to create functional and non-functional items including bags, customised clothing and decorative wall mounted pieces. My work is characterised by bright colours and the use of satin-stitch embroidery to create outlines and 3D forms, and I think reveals two of my influences, graffiti and Indian textiles.
I have a long-standing interest in the environment and conservation and try to reflect this in my working practices and choice of materials. I use recycled fabrics, and enjoy the challenge of creating something from quite mundane starting materials such as denim or jersey from old clothes, as well as using more obviously glamorous fabric like silk sari material. I like the fact that in reusing old fabric I am continuing a tradition seen in many domestically-produced textile artefacts from the past, such as American patchwork quilts, or Japanese Sashiko clothes, albeit for political rather than economic reasons in my case.
The environment has started to feature in my subject matter as well. Over the last 3 years I have made a number of pieces inspired by microbiology and marine invertebrates - originally I was fascinated simply by the colours and forms of these creatures and their decorative possibilities, but quickly became interested in the environmental threats facing coral reefs and marine environments. The pieces Paradise Bay and Dive are my first attempt to represent this theme, although these still retain the essentially decorative character of all my work.
I would definitely describe what I do as craft because the finished article is decorative, often useful, and relies on skill as well as concept for its successful execution. I am largely self taught in terms of my techniques and one of the things that has been most satisfying about making my work in the last few years has been seeing my technical skill improve as a result of practice.
Ruth Chalk 2010