Exuberance An Embroiderer's Perspective
Edited by Carol Cooke and Sharon Peoples
What did you get up to during the COVID19 lockdown? Many of us turned to one of three things: Banana Bread, Hobbies or Nature. I know that personally, I learned slowly to slow down, instead of a machine led artistic practice, I adapted my teaching and own creativity to adhere to what was more possible within the home setting. I also needed to be made calm - Hand Stitching became my weapon. The twenty Australian artists echoed my leanings and this title showcases a flourish of their thematically colourful works.
With bold and celebratory illustrations vocalising each individual artists practice, this unique book creates a great source of inspiration for all who feature the tactile within their art.
The artists were alerted to some points to work towards so that they could all sing from the same song, as it were. However this has not depleted their individuality.
Often when a book brings together many artists at once, it can seem more like an exhibition catalogue than a A-Z book - however this book is definitely a proper textile art title and although some may be inspired by certain time periods, it is timeless.
Personally I loved to nose my way through each artists practice and glean the behind the scenes view. There are many sketchbook images and WIP images throughout; this excites me much more than a tasteful finished piece view (although of course their gallery worthy pieces are sublime).
At the very back of this book, the two editors have a page each to explain more, which I really enjoyed reading.
What did this title do for me? One thing that I was surprised at was that it made me appreciate colour more. I am someone who has worked in the arts with colour for so many years, sometimes I enjoy more subtle tones. However this book made me rethink my own practice and question where I could inject my own rainbow.
Exuberance - cheery, energetic….excitement….what will colour do for you?