In May, artist Rose de Borman leads a one-day Selvedge workshop on the techniques of silk painting and printing. An expert in working with silk, Rose has been working as a freelance textile designer since 2006 when she won the prestigious Texprint award for her printed silk textiles. Here we find out more about Rose’s own work, what she enjoys about teaching and her plans for 2020.

Tell us about your work

I make work in dyed and printed silk textiles as well as ceramics and other materials. I draw from everyday plants, insects, and landscapes around me in Tottenham, from the weeds growing through the cracks in the pavement, the pigeons and worms in my garden to the skyline of the Tottenham marshes. Propelled by imagination and memory, these evolve into textile pieces, ceramics and paintings.

I fell in love with fabrics through my interest in textile history and traditional and folk textiles that exist in all cultures, from quilting to embroidery, and I like to imagine myself positioned along the line of people working with fabrics throughout history to create clothing, mementos, flags, quilts etc. I love the way fabrics can be saturated with colour and can be worn, carried or hung, woven into people’s lives and routines.

What do you enjoy about teaching this technique?

I love this particular printing technique because you can produce a one-off textile artwork that is somewhere between a painting and a monoprint. Using the silkscreen, we can create a multicoloured image using just one screen, that can never be reproduced. I love seeing the different ways students interpret the technique to produce pieces individual to them.

What are your plans for 2020? 

I am currently studying on the MA programme at the Royal Drawing School, drawing every day and pushing the way I see and respond to the world and I look forward to seeing where this takes my practice.

Book your place here: Silk Painting with Rose de Borman.