by Csaba Tibor Palotas | May 15, 2018 | Featured Local Artist Milton Keynes
I have been stitching and doodling for as long as I can remember; my very first artwork was in biro on my sister’s vinyl doll – very satisfying but not well received, as I recall. However, I didn’t start any formal art training until about ten years ago; since...
I have been stitching and doodling for as long as I can remember; my very first artwork was in biro on my sister’s vinyl doll – very satisfying but not well received, as I recall. However, I didn’t start any formal art training until about ten years ago; since then I’ve been fairly driven – I have to draw, paint or stitch every day or I’m not happy.
I’ve experimented with a wide range of media, but if I’m painting I prefer oils now, because I can move them around on the canvas and they blend so beautifully. My textile work usually starts with painting too, but for that I use silk paints and transfer dyes for the base, with layers of transparent fabric and embroidery to add depth and texture.
When I paint I enjoy the challenge of portraiture – there is something endlessly fascinating about the face and how it conveys character and mood (mine!), though I love painting flowers too, which is where my painting and my textile work overlap.
Two years ago I emerged from what I call my ‘sad woman’ phase, and embarked on a series of stitched ‘memory landscapes’ – scenes from a ‘half-remembered, half-imagined past’. This is a rich seam which I think will only end when I do.
I love looking at others’ work, both contemporary and historical, and would have difficulty selecting just one or two artists as my ultimate favourites. Some artworks evoke an intellectual response, some a visceral; occasionally the two coincide and then I get really excited. So finding inspiration isn’t a challenge, but being disciplined about design exploration and development is. I do keep sketchbooks, but they are too quickly abandoned if I have an exhibition deadline looming.
For the past four years I have been showing my work at Bucks Open Studios/Art Weeks as part of the textile trio Mix3d Stitch. Mix3d Stitch also curate open call textile exhibitions at the Cornerstone Gallery in Central Milton Keynes and participate regularly in art fairs. Separately or together we’ve exhibited and sold our work at venues as far afield as Portsmouth and Compton Verney in Warwickshire. We post images of our work on our separate Instagram feeds – mine is Yvonneelliottstitch – or jointly on the Mix3d Stitch Facebook page.
I derive great pleasure from interaction with people through social media or at public events and am always thrilled when someone wants to know more about the techniques and media used in particular pieces, so it is a natural development for me to give talks and lead workshops. After all, I have many years’ experience as an adult educator and arts curriculum manager!
Email address – Yvonne.elliott@me.com
Mobile 07920795738
Etsy : Yvonneelliottstitch – same as Instagram
Facebook : www.facebook.com/Mix3d Stitch