» Artists and Makers of Frome

Laura Holden

Artists and Makers of Frome

We talk to textile artist and manager of The Why Gallery, Laura Holden, about her love of nostalgic textiles, working whilst the the kids sleep and taking inspiration from the work of vintage illustrators.

What is your artistic background? My background is in Fine Art, although textiles have always been a large part of my artistic practice. I used to make big installations using thread and plants or trees to make big spidery organic sculptures. I had a great time in my twenties, exhibiting and travelling to take part in artists’ residencies, but I found I needed a more regular income. I then went into costume and prop making for theatre and exhibitions, and running workshops with schools. When my children were small, I began sewing animals and fruit-shaped cushions while they were sleeping, as a way to keep my creative side alive and busy, and that has evolved into my current practice as it is today.

What made you follow this path? I’ve always loved sewing, I like the mindful way you can be stitching away and chat or listen to music at the same time. I think there’s a bit of magic in the small binding actions of stitches accumulating to make a whole. I use some hand stitch in all the things I make as I think it gives something human to them; they are all very slightly wonky and very much themselves.

What is your physical creative process? What materials and techniques do you use? I work with cotton velvet, wool felt and corduroy mostly, as they are natural fabrics and have a warm, nostalgic feel to them. When making a piece, I start by drawing around the template of my design on to the fabric, then pinning and cutting the pattern. I use my old Singer sewing machine to stitch the main body, turn it out, stuff (firmly) and stitch closed the opening. Then I add the detail, eyes, leaves or what have you by hand; this bit I usually do in the evening on the sofa.

What inspires your work? I find vintage illustrations from the 50s-80s mostly, artists like Brian Wildsmith, John Vernon Lord and Judith Kerr, very inspiring. I really enjoy reading folklore and old fairy tales, I love animal symbolism and superstitions. I try and convey some of that sense of nostalgia and magic in the things I make.

like a lot of artists and makers, I found I had more online orders, and it gave me a push to make some new designs and promote my work more.

How did lockdown affect the way you work and create? Although it was a very strange and upsetting time, I found it good for focussing on my making and resetting myself creatively. As everybody found life was increasingly online, like a lot of artists and makers, I found I had more online orders, and it gave me a push to make some new designs and promote my work more. I’m very happy to be back doing markets in person now though, it’s so lovely to meet people and talk about why or who they are buying something for, there’s always a good story!

Where do you work from? Tell us about your studio It’s a little room in my house! I make work around my part-time job managing social enterprise The Why Gallery and looking after my children, so I work in the evenings a lot. I tend to let it all get cluttered and chaotic, then have a massive organise every few weeks.

What is your favourite place to be for artistic inspiration? I do like a good forest or being near the sea, it’s great to be away from the whirring of everyday. Equally, I love galleries and museums in big cities, I visited the Pitt Rivers for the first time recently and found all the artefacts, and how they were grouped, fascinating.

What artists inspire you, and why? My textile art heroes are Louise Bourgoise, Eva Hesse and Mike Kelley. I’m also a big fan of the writing and artwork of Lenora Carrington and Tove Jansson, they are both people of great imagination, humour and compassion about the nature of being human.

If you hadn’t become an artist, what would you have done? I love the stories and treasure-hunt nature of vintage clothes and textiles, so maybe I could have had a big chaotic clothes shop! I really enjoyed my time working in schools, particularly with the children who were not suited to traditional academia. I did have a serious think about training as an occupational therapist at one point. How do you find the Frome area, in terms of creativity and artistic community? It’s wonderful. There are so many creative people here, and I find it a really down to earth, supportive community to live in. I love that there are so many excellent small galleries in Frome, and it’s wonderful to have Hauser and Wirth so close by, too.

Are there any artistic processes/disciplines which you haven’t worked in/with, but would like to? I’d love to work with clay at some point, it’s such a joyful, challenging material and would make a nice change from all the stitching!

How can people see and buy your work? I will be trading at the November and December Frome Independent markets this year. You can find me on Instagram as @lauraholdenstudio and at my Etsy shop www.etsy.com/uk/shop/lauraholdenstudio