A year ago my “Variations on a Flamingo” coiled baskets, inspired by a David Bailey photo in the V&A collection, were selected for the “Inspired By” exhibition in Morley Gallery. It was a privilege to be part of such a varied and interesting exhibition. 

The exhibition guide is still online, and filled with inspiring things… 

The full flamingo line-up…

Raffia, cigarette paper, goose eggshells, acrylic paint

Cigarette paper, raffia, thread, string, goose eggshells, acrylic paint, feather

Here’s the artist statement that accompanied them:

“David Bailey photographed Catherine Deneuve…and a stuffed flamingo. When I remembered this photo, I recalled it as being in colour. On the City Lit Basketry course we explored coiled baskets, and the study brought me to the V and A’s collection, where I rediscovered this image – and found it was black and white, not infused with the flamingo pinks and reds of my memory. I started working with offcuts of cigarette paper (after meeting a woman on the train who works in a cigarette-paper factory: inspiration comes in many forms!) I first explored the flamingo, especially the head and neck, and combined this with the egg-like form of Deneuve’s hat. The lightness of the paper led me to work very small, with careful stitching in various threads (paper, embroidery and linen). The cigarette paper, white and translucent, had a sense of feather, but I couldn’t resist bringing a splash of the imagined colour. I experimented with spray paint, and brought coloured raffia and various coiling stitches to the mix. And of course, every flamingo hatches from an egg, so decorated eggshells formed part of the final piece.”