Textile Folk Art By Anne Kelly published by Batsford
I was just about to review this book, when into my inbox popped the following, prescient quotes, from designer and licenserJehane, from ‘ making art work’
Folk Art – Folklore ‘Art of the people’ celebrates traditions and rituals from across the world and the relationship between maker and object’
‘Art teaches us to see into things. Folk Art allows us to see outward from within things.’ Walter Benjamin.
This book is an inspirational exploration of folk art from around the world by textile artist http://www.annekellytextiles.com/Anne Kelly.
It includes samplers, quilts, tribal and nomadic cloth. Anne Kelly explores traditional motifs used throughout the world in textile folk art and shows how contemporary textile artists use them in their work today. She demonstrates how to incorporate treasured personal objects- such as garments, stitched samples, vintage lettering and motifs-into textile to create unique works of folk art.
We are shown examples of collections from around the world – Scandinavia, USA, Australia, China and Mongolia. There are some step –by- step projects including collages, screen prints, folding books. We are shown creative collages on garments and even a stitched shed that was shown at the knitting and stitching show. The reader is given resource to some of the best textile artists, such as Nancy Nicholson, Mandy Pottulloh and Sue Stone and you can see their work on their web sites.
My verdict this is a lovely book that more than earns its place on a bookshelf, I will delve into time and again.
creativecolour.org 