There's a lovely circularity to Patrick Heron's relationship to textiles; an artist who cut his teeth designing silks but ended up influencing textile design immeasurably through his abstract oil paintings.
The painter's father, Tom, was managing director of Cryséde silks (1926-1929) and later founder of the highly successful Cresta Silks in Welwyn Garden City. As a young teenager Patrick worked - and flourished - as a textile designer at Cresta, alongside other artist/designers such as Edward McKnight Kauffer, Paul Nash and Cedric Morris. However, it is as an oil painter that the artist is best known.
A conscientious objector in World War II, Patrick was able to return to where he spent much of his childhood, St.Ives in Cornwall. A then thriving art scene he spent much of he mixed with many of the leading artists of the St.Ives school. Cornwall became a source of inspiration to the painter and walking through the retrospective exhibition at Tate St.Ives the colours and shapes of Patrick's paintings have a deep resonance with contemporary - and no doubt future - textiles.
To accompany the exhibition Tate has produced a collection of Patrick Heron inspired silk scarves and ties.
Tate St Ives
19 May – 30 September 2018
Turner Contemporary, Margate
19 October 2018 – 6 January 2019
