ARTISTS & MAKERS OF FROME with Kate Talbot of Hung, Drawn and Quoted
What is your artistic background? I started out in Graphic Design then progressed to a degree in Fine Art at Leeds. For my graduation show, I created images in textile which was a new medium for me, but I enjoyed it so much that I haven’t stopped. I then studied for a Masters degree at Central St. Martins in Illustration and again the graphics and textiles came with me. What made you follow this path? I always wanted to go to art college, but my family emigrated to Canada in the late 70’s and as I was only sixteen I wasn’t allowed to stay behind. I tried to settle in my new home, but my interests and friends were back here. I returned to the UK in 1987, and met my husband who was a graphic designer; it was he who encouraged me to apply as a mature student. I was delighted to get accepted and even better that I received a full grant. Those were the days! What is your physical creative process? What materials and techniques do you use? My work starts out as a deconstruction! If I am making a 2D image in textile or a 3D soft sculpture, then I have to break it down into its component parts first. It’s a bit like a jigsaw where I make the basic shapes and then put them together to form the whole. The images only really come to life when I stitch in all the detail. I work with wool, lightweight cotton fabric, wire and thread.
work has a narrative, and I have always loved a play on words, the double entendre or just sayings that we all relate to. It’s not unusual for me to come up with the title first and then make the work to suit. As many Fromies know, I am very political in some of my subject matter, and these days with our current incumbent, the work almost makes itself! I often get customers asking if my soft sculptures are voodoo dolls, which sadly they are not, otherwise for a small fee you could vent your feelings and I’d be loaded in no time. How did lockdown affect the way you work and create? I didn’t have to change the way I work during lockdown as my studio at that time was based at home, but I was certainly busier. A lot of my greetings cards are based on current issues in the public interest, so I did a lot of lockdown-related cards. People seemed to really appreciate a humorous approach to those dark times. Where do you work from? Tell us about your studio. These days my studio is part of my shop on Catherine Street. I’ve managed to cram all my bits and bobs into a selection of cupboards and drawers that are full to the brim, but at least it’s there when I need it. My textile work is portable so I can work on that in the shop or at home in front of the telly. My studio and shop will be moving into the bigger shop next door when renovations are complete and then this shop will become ‘Dunk’, a tea and biccies café.
What inspires your work? Anything can inspire me. Sometimes I just have to overhear a comment and it will give me an idea. All my 22
THE LIST FROME
A r t i s t s a n d Ma k e r s o f F r o m e
