Holmfirth Artweek Fringe Venue

Statement:

I am a Textile Artist specialising in free machine embroidery, at the heart of my practice is a commitment to drawing, observing and reacting to my environment.

I feel deeply rooted in process and search for an honesty in my making. I aim to be true to my materials, seeking to extract and enhance their natural potential.  Recent explorations with metal have led to a collection of silver jewellery

Making is a mediation: I get lost in its rhythm…yet I work with speed and my work offers vitality and energy.

I have been creating, exhibiting and teaching for over 30 years; I specialised in Textiles at Goldsmith's College, London University [BA Hons] and UCE, Birmingham [Masters]

I am a ceramic artist living and working in the Colne Valley very close to the Yorkshire Pennines, an area of exquisite natural beauty. Since completing my MA at the Royal College of Art I have worked with clay and evolved a personal language of layering colour, texture and mark-making. This currently translates into wall mounted ‘Ceramic Paintings’, wheel thrown vessels and a range of porcelain jewellery. The designs for the jewellery are taken from my Ceramic Paintings and maintain the quality of the original artwork, each piece a strong yet light and wearable piece of art. I love early morning light and evening shadows. Light brings everything to life, it is what enhances the depth of texture and enriches all colour. Nature and the landscape are a refuge, a place to escape to, somewhere to re-centre and find calm.

Clay is the medium with which to translate this inspiration. Using different methods of applying colour, texture and mark-making I build the layers, creating depth and richness on the surface of the clay. This layering process between multiple firings requires great understanding of materials and their properties. In viewing my work I hope there is a sense of recognition, the stirring of an emotion or memory of place. It draws you in and then you are intrigued by the textures and colour, the tactile qualities, the need to reach out and touch. I work full time on my ceramics and sell my work in galleries across the UK, internationally online and at fairs and exhibitions.

I have recently received accreditation from Crafts Council England

Some of my projects can be viewed in the directory.

Though I am primarily a felt maker, I have been somewhat limited over recent years working without a studio. So, this collection for The Woven Festival is contemporary embroideries inspired by the design or weave of the background cloths used. I enjoy the thought process of creating a fresh piece of work. The use of stitch and application of various items, enhances and alters the original makers’ concept. This then evolves into my own design, both in texture & visually, becoming a new creation.

My work has been purchased from my gallery over the last thirty years for private collections all over the world. New York USA, Canada, Italy, Spain & Uganda to name just a few. I have also exhibited in many galleries, from the Scottish borders to the Home Counties.

I discovered felt making in 1994 through an interest in millinery. I was an active member of The International Felt Makers Association for many years, both learning & teaching.

The unstructured nature of felt with its endless potential gives me freedom of expression for my imagination. It also offers the opportunity to exploit the many techniques of working with textiles that I have gained over the years. The incorporation of natural materials & new methods introduces a contemporary approach to the ancient & traditional technique of hand felt making. For me contemporary felt carries a bond from the past with a focus on the future.

Bio

Allison James is an art quilter whose work explores the interplay between colour, shape and texture.  Having sewn all her life, she completed a City and Guild’s Diploma in Embroidery before taking up art quilting in 2020. The landscape and the natural world most often provide inspiration for her quilts which have been exhibited in UK, Europe and the USA.

Her body of work includes both representational and and abstract pieces. Allison is a member of Studio Art Quilts Associates USA, the Quilters Guild UK and 20 Perspectives, an international exhibiting group of quilt artists.