gillian.bates' photostream

Thank you so much for taking the time to explore my flickr a little further.
This page will allow you to find out more about me, my work and the ideas that drive me.
I hope you find it useful.

Gillian


About Me

I’m a little bit obsessed, it’s perfectly true - I go funny around fabric.

In fact the only thing I enjoy more than adding to my ever-growing collection of vintage and reclaimed fabrics is rummaging through them all to find just the right piece to integrate into my latest textile art canvas.

My obsession for all things textiles led me to successfully gaining a BA(Hons) in Textile and Surface Design in 2007 . During my studies I was extremely pleased to be shortlisted for the RSA Fashion Interiors Bursary Award.

I am now very happy to be indulging my passion working as a full-time artist, creating contemporary textile art from my studio based in the elegant, seaside town of Eastbourne, East Sussex.


About my work

I produce contemporary textile art in the form of wall-hung canvases.

All of my handmade canvases are entirely unique and are created using the pick of my reclaimed and vintage fabrics

With levels of care and attention that only come from focused obsession, I work in a fantastically wide range of canvas sizes and colours to produce art that I hope you will find both engaging and pleasing.


In addition to textile canvases I also produce a range of other contemporary textile products that make great gifts for those nearest and dearest to you. My quirky and colourful textile postcards are particularly popular – the debut collection having completely sold out.


About the ideas that drive me

I believe that habit and habitat draw a veil over our eyes. We become so accustomed to the people and places we see everyday that eventually we fail to see them properly at all. My aim is to pull back the veil and in doing so reveal the extraordinary and beautiful wonder of everyday life.

I hope to do this by exploring the notion that man and landscape are part of the same, essential fabric and as such are seemingly stitched together - inextricably inter-connected and inter-dependent. By recapturing and reconceptualising the seemingly humdrum moments of everyday life in this way I hope to rediscover in them some fresh and revealing connections.

Recently I have felt more and more compelled to explore and celebrate my local environment. The brilliantly idiosyncratic, seaside towns of Sussex, their wonderful residents and stunning architecture continue to be the single, greatest driving force behind my work and a constant source of enjoyment and inspiration.

Other important influences on my work are vintage film footage of seaside holidays, mid 20th century tourism advertising and my increasingly large collection of British, seaside postcards.

www.gillian-bates.com
Also check out my etsy shop www.gillianbates.etsy.com