ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
KENT ARTIST PROFILE :
LOUISE HAMLIN-WRIGHT
LOUISE HAMLIN-WRIGHT WAS ALWAYS DESTINED TO WORK WITH BEAUTIFUL FABRICS . AFTER WORKING WITH HAUTE COUTURE FASHION HOUSES AND BEING INVOLVED IN ICONIC PERIODS OF FASHION AND DESIGN FOR MANY YEARS , LOUISE NOW DESIGNS MIXED-MEDIA PIECES INSPIRED BY FASHION AND HER TIME IN THE INDUSTRY .
Tell us a little bit about your journey to becoming an artist and how you would describe your art .
I spent most of my young life in a wonderful girls boarding school in Launceston , Cornwall . Here , my artistic talents were nurtured and my art teacher taught me calligraphy and illuminating manuscripts . The embossing of capital letters in real gold leaf gave me a lifelong love of gold in my artwork .
I then went on to study textile design at St Albans Art School and then the Central School of Art and Design . During this time I met my husband John Chapple , a fellow textile design student , and we began designing and producing our own textile designs for the haute couture fashion houses of the time , such as Dior and Emanuel , under our business Chapple Hamlin-Wright .
What inspires you most when it comes to creating a piece ?
The art I produce now is primarily collage . The piecing together of paper images , vibrant silks , vintage jewellery , threads , glass and much more , all cut and pieced together on my fantasy fashion images . Each image I create is inspired by my fashion instincts , having spent most of my life designing and producing magical wedding and ball gowns for customers around the world . As opposed to my huge and elaborate gown creations of earlier years , I now create miniature jewel-like images which , as well as being framed images , are also turned into greeting cards , each one individually embellished .
Tell us a little bit about the techniques and process you undergo to create your art .
For much of my life I have collected antique china , Edwardian illustrated books , and vintage clothing from the early 20th century . I am surrounded by incredible scraps of lace and silks , left over from my haute couture days , and these I now use in my collages . In many ways , I work like a jeweller or a mosaic artist , cutting fabrics , metals , glass and leather to form my fantasy image by fitting them all together to make the whole . It is very fiddly and precise work but I love that aspect of my creativity . I also press flowers and leaves and use pastels , watercolours and enamels to create the backgrounds for the main fashion image .
Where can we see / purchase your work ?
Etsy UK : LouiseHamlinWright
The Haven Gallery , 93 High Street , Hythe CT21 5JH
Rising Star , 28 High Street , Tenterden TN30 6AR
Contact Louise Hamlin-Wright for viewing her artworks at her home gallery on 07973 162473 , or email lhw @ btinternet . com .
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