» Artists & Makers

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.

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 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 is your favourite place to be for artistic inspiration? I don’t know about favourite place but certainly for my political work I’m sat in front of ‘The Guardian’ online newspaper most days. I have to keep up with the latest furore in Parliament. The rest of the time I can be in the queue for the till at the shops or wandering along Rodden Meadow on my way home when the spark hits, anywhere and everywhere really!

What artists inspire you & why? Anyone who is able to capture a moment that makes me want to know more. I often say that I am more interested in the ordinary than the extraordinary so artists like John Bratby, of the kitchen sink school, or the American painter Grant Wood - ‘American Gothic’ is such a great image. I also love the rich tones and symbolism found in the work of the school of Hans Holbein. As a student at Central St. Martins, I used to go look at his work in the National Portrait Gallery all the time, you can never get bored of it. I use symbolism in my work all the time. I like the viewer to find the clues to get the full picture.

If you hadn’t become an artist, what would you have done? I’d have liked to be a writer. I fancied being a music journalist back in the day, but that might have been more to do with the lifestyle than the literature. I have always written short stories and letters as I am as much in love with the process of forming words as I am with images. To quote Pauline from the League of Gentlemen “some of my best friends are pens!”

How do you find the Frome area, in terms of creativity and artistic community? Frome is definitely my ‘happy’ place! This town is the most genuinely creative environment I have ever lived in. Everyone is so supportive of the arts in all their forms. It’s also a very socially aware community and I love that. Ideas become reality here without the snobbery or exclusivity that you get in other places.

Are there any artistic processes/disciplines which you haven’t worked in/with, but would like to? I dabble in different processes all the time but always come back to what I do best. Now that I have my shop there isn’t much spare time to indulge new creative avenues, but I’m not complaining, I get to meet some really interesting and inspiring people every day. I’m having a great time!

How can people see and buy your work? Visit Hung Drawn Quoted at 28 Catherine Street, Frome BA11 1DB and follow me on social media:

@hung.drawn.quoted @hungdrawnquotedfrome @hungdrawnquoted @HDQ

www.hungdrawnquotedfrome.co.uk