Influencial story tellers in textile …

In this particular story my only influences in the world of stories woven in or stitched on fabric, thus far were John Craske, Hannah Ryggen and Arthur Bispo do Rosario and while their work was valid and inspirational, they are extant and their stories not relevant to mine. Craske was a sick man and confined to bed much of the time embroidered stories of the sea and famously of the Dunkirk evacuation 1940, Ryggen wove tapestries in her home in Norway of harrowing stories while occupied by the Germans during WW2 and Bispo, a Brazilian artist suffering for schizophrenia created work using found objects in praise of god.  My mission was not quite clear, nonetheless, I mustered hope that going to the river, immersing myself in the environment exploring natural dyeing and printing materials my own story and style will evolve. 

Sadly, before that could take place Corona Virus happened and as nation the United Kingdom went into lockdown; any thoughts of going anywhere beyond my front door were thwarted forthwith. With a daily exercise allowance, I was able to venture to the Thames nearby and hopeful she might prove to be a fruitful alternative. The Thames as it flows past Reading has a rather pleasing countrified air until one notices the glistening office blocks at a polite distance; emblems of the silicon valley for which Reading is famed. That and the Reading Pop Festival and closer look reveals the carefully coiffured hedgerows, and pollard trees and realise it is all a bucolic dream, It bears no resemblance to the river of my memory; urban, polluted, and mysterious, therefore cannot play a part in my story. So my journey continues …