NEW BLOG ADDRESS

My blog is now part of a new website please click here for new posts and subscribe to the new blog on the site - many thanks - carole

Decorex International is an annual trade exhibition of fabrics, furniture, lighting,wall and floorccoverings - and lots of other decorative elements for interior design.
It has been running for many years and its traditional stance has recently seen lots of updating and some innovative and beautiful products were on show this year. I showed there with Regina Heinz who makes most beautiful ceramic tiles http://www.ceramart.net/rmh/index.html

I worked closely with the laminators of my glassworks - T4 Design - to produce some new abstract fabrics and panels of glass for interior use.
Abstract design :  Silver, gold, and blue.
They loved it and the reception was SO enthusiastic I have not had time to respond to everyone's  individual enquiries. I am sorry!
The painted silk cloths can be hung flat against walls, or for bound wall panels - or  for the voile, inner layer of curtaining. The fabric has been worked (etched or burn out or devore in technical terms) to introduce texture through a mix of transparency and opacity.
Light , weather and wet colour are the inspiration for the marks and intensity of colour -  the cloth is painted by hand, to produce a fabric and image full of depth and a sense of fluidity - 

and a sense of three dimensionality - as inspired by the English landscapes I am looking at  - here is the pond in Kensington Gardens early in the morning, where Decorex took place.
 This cloth can be laminated between two layers of toughened glass to produce freestanding glass panels , screens , door panels - windows - balustrades and anything your imagination can invent in a context where glass might be used in or out of doors.
Thank you Katie for documenting your work experience days on this blog! Good Luck in you future at college and real life .....keep in touch  everyone
xxxx

The Pink Jacket - by Katie

I am in love with this jacket. I have seen it through it's entire journey. I saw Carole paint it and steam it, and then I washed it, span it, dried it and ironed it before it was sent off to the dressmaker to be made into this beautiful jacket. And now I have steamed it and witnessed it being photographed at the fashion shoot. 

Above are some behind the scenes shots that I have taken. 

A couple more photographs from our shoot today - by Katie

Here Carole is moving the garment to create a drape in the cloth, so that when it is photographed with the use of the fan, the image has the composition that she wants. 

Photo shoot - by Katie

So we have arrived that the photo studio in Bristol, and hair and make-up is well underway in the dressing room whilst the photographer discusses light and composition with Carole. 

Carole's vision for the shoot is to illustrate the essence of the empowered woman, creating an

image that will speak to her demographic and enhance her new website. 

The studio itself is striking, a huge cove that appears to stretch out to infinity. It's a fitting canvas for such strong, expressive and abstract clothing. 

Getting ready for Decorex - By Katie

As we shall be installing Carole's new work next week at Decorex International, part of Design Week in London -  we are getting the fabrics photographed and ready to go. The backwards devore method that I mentioned in a previous post has been used on these three fabrics which will be sold as voiles. 

Since my last post on these pieces, I have changed my mind - I have now fallen in love with the silver piece, my new favourite! The colour scheme is beautiful, and I can already imagine in someones home hanging in splendor with the sun light behind it.

Jewelry making - by Katie

Today and yesterday afternoon, I have been helping Carole with transfer printing on to metal which will be turned into jewelry. The process is very interesting, starting off with cutting the metal into shapes before placing it into the heat press along with pieces of paper with Carole's beautiful brush strokes on.

The results are wonderfully successful - a contrast of bright pinks, yellows and greens with dark browns and black, the small chunks of metal would work perfectly as statement jewelry but also would come together brilliantly with some of Carole's garments.

 

The pieces will be sent to jewelry maker Cate Wood who specializes in handmade jewelry, before being shown in the Christmas exhibition at One Two Five, alongside Carole and Gary's work. 

Cate Wood's work can be seen on her Facebook page.