Stories
Doesn’t art speak for itself?
I’ve been a writer for most of my life, earning a living as a copywriter, editor, tutor and sometimes translator. I have learned that some things, especially the most beautiful things, may be better left unsaid.
Art is what happens somewhere in that space between the artist’s hand and the viewer’s mind. It’s a collaboration beyond articulation.
However.
The fabrics I use all have stories of their own, which cannot be divined from their simple appearance. Upcycled, rescued, reclaimed, loved to shreds, vintage and bizarre, they layer history, texture, emotion and specific resonance into my pictures.
So, yes, the art speaks for itself, but there are also ‘under-stories’ for those willing to read them. It’s an aspect of commissioning work that can be very rewarding, layering secrets into pictures, sometimes even literally (imagine what you could tuck behind the Fennel bulb?) The first story happened when I started to write a brief description of the Artichoke, and it turned into ‘Choices‘.
If you have a story, or a piece of cloth that means something special to you, and you would like to discuss a commission, let’s talk it over.
Pendragan Art Studio 