Guest post by Kate Myerscough
Embroidery is an art form that has been used the world over for centuries. Not limited to any walk of life, this craft represents both extreme luxury in the opulent tradition of Opus Anglicanum, and the ordinary folk traditions found all around the world. Regardless of where it can be found, at its core, embroidery has always been about one thing more than anything else: texture. And this is one element that contemporary embroiderer Louise Gardiner takes very seriously.
Louise’s embroidery does not limit itself to tradition. Her intricately layered, one-off designs are made using a domestic sewing machine combined with painting and hand-beading. Inspired by the spontaneous and fickle nature of machine embroidery, her work subverts the process of embroidery while retaining the textural qualities of the thread.
Louise often chooses to leave threads trailing on her pieces, explaining that ‘there’d be no point to being an embroidery and textile artist if I wasn’t celebrating the character of the materials.’ With this approach her style varies, from the figurative commercial work to organic embroideries close to her heart.
Striking a balance between the contemporary and the textural, in Louise’s capable hands the practice of embroidery has found a new exciting world to call home.
Louise Gardiner will be exhibiting in The British Craft Pavilion at London Design Festival, 21 -24 September 2017