Friday, June 18, 2010

SEW Regional Day - Bobby Brittnell

Bobby Brittnell

Bobby has a background in tailoring and in making theatrical costumes for such shows as the Black and White Minstrels Talk of the Town and several West-end musicals. She later qualified as a teacher and ran the textile department in a large comprehensive school in Guildford and during her full time teaching also completed her City and Guilds in Embroidery.

Themes and ideas for her own work often stem from her immediate surroundings. She prefers to draw and play on paper or in a sketchbook to help generate thoughts and ideas, although at times can work intuitively and directly develop with the fabric and techniques. Music and dance also plays an important role in her life and these are often used as springboards in her work. Alternatively, venues and new challenges that group exhibitions may bring can inspire new directions and ways of working.

Most of the techniques that she employs include dyeing cotton fabric to which surface decoration is added through painting, printing and bonded appliqué. The work is then heavily machine-stitching to create a textured surface and then worked back into with drawing and stitching to create greater impact and definition. Newer work using still-life as inspiration is simpler in content and execution, but hopefully still has impact.

Bobby is a professional teacher and textile artist of standing in the UK and with an increasing international reputation. She teaches a variety of creative courses from her home in South Shropshire, England as well as all over the United Kingdom and abroad. In Sept 2008 she began tutoring on the BA (Hons) Embroidered Textiles Course for the Julia Caprara School of Textile Arts. She is a member of ‘The Textile Study Group’ a high profile national exhibiting and teaching group. She is a recommended tutor of the Embroiderers Guild and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She has work in private collections in Great Britain, including the offices of KPMG, USA, Canada, Austria, Germany, and Portugal. Her work regularly appears in publications and books.

"Tulips on Tiptoes 1, 2008", courtesy of Bobby Brittnell


"Honesty 1, 2008", courtesy of Bobby Brittnell

Details can be found on Bobby's website.

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