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Rachel Wright
“Becoming a painter would’ve been the obvious choice”
Textile Artist
October 2021
Why textiles?
Becoming a painter would’ve been the obvious choice, my father is a fine artist, he paints in oil and watercolour. We used to spend a great deal of time in galleries and museums but I found I wasn’t very good at mixing up paint colours. Fabrics are ready made paint boxes but with the added benefit of a tactile and textured canvas. My grandmother was always stitching or mending something and I found the sewing box to be endlessly fascinating. Eventually I realised I could paint with fabrics.
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How did you learn the craft
I studied textiles at university and I knew within a week thats what I wanted to do, so in the second and third year I specialised in embroidered textiles. Also my Dad was a huge influence on me, he taught me so much about observation and an eye for detail. He always told me to spend twice as long looking as I did actually making marks on paper, the advice has served me well.
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“My dad still inspires me, at 83 years old he is still producing incredible work“
What challenges do textiles present
The process is slow and time consuming, I wish there was a way I could speed the process up. It’s frustrating having to turn down exhibition invites because of lack of pieces to show. The flip side of that is that I sell everything I make so that naturally creates scarcity. It is still a challenge to get my work accepted as real art. Just because something is stitched it shouldn’t lessen its value.
Could you give me an overview of the way you work
I work mostly from photographs, I sketch directly onto the cotton calico base fabric. I don’t use a stabiliser or hoop. Once I have a sketch I begin to gather a palette of fabrics which offer me the colours and textures that I need. I cut tiny pieces of fabric and lay them down, painting with them is small areas. Once I’m happy with the overall balance, I begin to free motion stitch on my machine. I use Maderia Rayons threads as they have a lovely soft sheen and run smoothly through my machine. I continue to work in this way, small areas at a time, constantly evaluating, adding and amending until eventually I have the completed piece.
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What inspires you now?
My Dad still inspires me, at 83 years old he is still producing work of an incredible standard. I am inspired by the forces of nature and the beauty that surrounds us, twisting mighty trees and wondrous sunsets in expansive skies, nature is always a great inspiration.
Do you have a favourite piece of work?
I don’t have one overall favourite but I like the pieces that I find most challenging to do. They are the ones you learn the most from and get the greatest satisfaction from. If I had to pick one it would probably be a piece called “Along the shoreline” it was a study of the sea washing up on the beach. It was definitely one of those tricky pieces but I love how it turned out.
What are your ambitions for the future?
I want to be able to spend more time at my machine everyday and I would really love to be able to get involved in exhibitions outside of the UK.