Bespoke Service. . . . . . .

My bespoke service involves creating personal, textured and custom-made art pieces in the form of collages that can be given as a gift to someone on a special occasion. I tailor the art piece to whatever the client wishes while still firmly retaining my individual style and technique of working. This means the client has a greater involvement with the creation of the artwork as I will need to know about the character and life of the person who is receiving it, and maybe need be given some materials or imagery that can be incorporated into it.  I will explain some of the thoughts and techniques behind my work ‘Barcelona’, in order to illustrate the process.

A great friend of mine complained to me that I had never made a piece of art for her. She had given me a present of some sunflowers, favourite flowers for both of us. Before the sunflowers died I took the petals off and glued them between two pieces of white tissue paper with PVA glue. PVA glue seals the petals so they can never decay and loose their colour. By doing this I’m preserving the petals and the memory of the sunflowers for ever. I  sewed through the tissue paper, round the petals of the flower and up through the paper. We had quite recently come back from Barcelona where I had taken many photos. I incorporated images of the sweets from the market and also images of a small section of the tiling from Gaudi’s, Park Guell, a place that inspired us both. I wanted to give the impression of a woman floating up through all the patterns, colours and textures as symbolism of the visual and sensory time we experienced in Barcelona. The darker elements of life and our time in Barcelona are symbolised by the black butterfly.

The image above is a commission for a woman who wanted a piece to encapsulate a significant time in her life.  She wanted it to symbolise her new aspirations after going through a divorce, her children, elements of her character and some of her favourite things.

My technique is distinctive in that it is based around a series of layers and different mediums that evokes a feeling of reminiscence and time. I believe that by layering photos, drawings, patterns and objects, creating a sensory texture, heightens ones senses and makes us subconsiously more in tune with our psyche.  Giving a present such as this is rewarding as you get to see the enjoyment of the story being told again and again.

The image on the left illustrates the fairy story, ‘The Nightingale and the Rose’, written by Oscar Wilde, which affected me greatly when I was a child, along with the stories by the Brothers Grimm, and Hans Christian Anderson. A bespoke illustration is a thoughtful present for a Christening or child’s birthday as the story will then be with the person throughout their life.

I can also do commissions with the 'Paper Batik' technique, whereby the image is drawn, with layers of pastel and goulash paint overlaid. Finally a coat of Indian Ink covers the picture until its completely black. Some of the black is absorbed by the paper as it dries and some stays on the surface which can then be washed off when the picture is put under water and manually developed.