Those of you that know me well, will know that I was born with a paintbrush in my left hand and a pencil in my right. I was probably drawing before I could talk and that’s still quite true today! Always quiet, but forever creating. This love of art partly stems from my Grandma Alice, who realised her passion for drawing later in life and always encouraged myself and my brother to put pencil to paper when we were little. My Granny was the same and we were never without a creative, crafty activity to keep us entertained.
As a child I always had a love of Fashion and dreamt of becoming a Fashion Designer but this evolved and before I knew it, it was art that I loved instead. Both High School and College helped me realise that I loved all aspects of Art and Design be it drawing, painting, photography, graphics, textiles.. as long as I could draw and be creative, I was a happy bunny! My final piece for GCSE Art was a large series of paintings depicting a shipwrecked boat with big, dramatic waves and skies. It’s funny to think I was only 15/16 when I made this.. it got me an A*! High school is also where I did my first woodblock print and lino print. I didn’t know it then, but this would become one of my favourite mediums to use!
It was at College where I discovered lino print again. I created a two-piece outfit that was completely lino printed. The fabric was utterly unsuitable, it didn’t fit properly and the inks NEVER dried! I remember trying it on for a dress rehearsal, I was essentially stuck in the top and when I pulled it off over my head I looked in the mirror and my face was covered in ink.. But you learn from your mistakes.. All this time I was designing for fashion when in fact I was probably much more suited to interiors.
But the best thing about College was meeting Catherine, she was very similar to me; from a sleepy village, had 2 cats, also a bit shy. I knew she’d be a friend for life. That’s why I followed her to Trent on a spur-of-the-moment decision. Selfishly, because I knew I would have someone to make the transition easier and in all honesty I would not have made it through without her! I didn’t even know my way to the Uni from halls on the first day without her guidance.. I’d still be wandering around the other side of Nottingham now. It was in our final year at Uni that we decided to collaborate and run our own market stall for the Uni Christmas fair. We managed to make £250 over two days (although about 10% of that was profit but it was a start!)
Textile Design was the perfect course for me. It taught me to constantly strive to be experimental with my work. With the support from tutors and lecturers, I gained a greater understanding of the Textiles industry; how to create commercial prints but also how to have my own personal style of working and how this would set me apart from others. All this time I kept on reverting back to lino printing – there was just something about it that excited me so much and I pushed this as far as I could throughout my final year project.
Leaving Uni was the next big milestone and the impending fear of what to do next set in. I decided to move straight back home then think about where to go from there. I spent most of my Summer wandering about in the countryside sketching and painting rather than looking for jobs.. not the best idea but it was in this time that CA.RA was thought up. Mine and Catherine’s creative vision! We didn’t quite know what it was or where it would take us but we were just excited to create and put our skills to good use. So alongside our current jobs, we meet up, brainstorm ideas and just see where it takes us.
For me, it’s the importance of imagination that drives this need to create and when growing up in the middle of the countryside, an active imagination is a necessity. But it’s the countryside that I love the most. I never used to realise this and dreamt of how it would be to live in a city. Going to University in Nottingham was a big step, but one that I don’t regret at all! Apart from having a great time and making friends for life, it taught me that I can cope living on my own in a big city. But most importantly it taught me never to take things for granted and that my heart will always be in the countryside. CA.RA is an amalgamation of both mine and Catherine’s experiences. It’s a combination of ideas united by a passion to create. Watch this space! :) R
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