Part 4 Research point Francoise Tellier-Loumagne

 Francoise Tellier-Loumagne

The second of my chosen textile artists is Francoise Tellier-Loumagne.  I was introduced to her work at Christmas when I received "The art of embroidery" as a gift.  I reviewed the book in on my blog in late December and I keep going back to the book just to gaze in wonder. The Art of Embroidery is sister to The Art of Felt and the Art of Knitting and all are inspirational books. The aim of the series  is to encourage the reader to have a go and accept that a "good enough" result can be achieved by a beginner.

Francoise has taught on textiles courses for over 40 years and the experience shows in the way her books are presented.  She offers just enough to tantalise and isn't at all prescriptive.  The student is guided gently to a point where they can make their own interpretations and feel some confidence is doing so.

Francoise is a skilled textile artist who seems to adapt easily from one medium to another. She rules nothing out when it comes to selecting materials and adopts the view that the materials should lend themselves to the subject matter. This is usually derived from the natural world and Francois firmly believes that a closer look at familiar objects gives enough inspiration to last a lifetime.  Equally she says there is always more than one way to interpret a given image.

Francoise believes one of the most import techniques for the textile artist is to learn to put together fabrics which create the right feeling for the work in hand. The embroidery on the fabric can create rhythm, tension, fast and slow movements by the use of thread and heavy and light strokes but the implication is that if the background fabrics are poorly chosen these will not reveal their potential.

Francoise talks of the importance of composition but qualifies that by saying that what is pragmatic  in industry doesn't have to be so in a more craft based environment.  For instance, in industry it may be more cost effective to place a motif centrally but this can be experimented with in a less pressured situation.

Francoise is a great advocate for the development of embroidery as an art form and believes

To embroider is to create, imagine and invent. 

and further

Embroidery can rival any style of painting.

Once again I am impressed that the basic guidelines expounded by this artist are the guidelines I am following on my course.

To reinforce the idea of using the natural world for inspiration I've chosen to include this composite picture.  It shows samples of an embroidery whose inspiration was a compost heap..  This subject suggested a whole host of shapes and materials and unusually for Francoise she pursued an idea that wasn't simple.

The embroidery above shows something quite different.  This time it's rusty rails and rocky ground.  It was made on a piece of woven jacquard furnishing fabric.  The rails are made with a projecting pleat which has been stiffened and the embellishments are sequins, beads and metal twist.  The suggested use is an over sized cushion cover, shopping bag or bustier.

A final word from Francoise

Whether your work is classic or contemporary, figurative or abstract, you can choose to embroider simply to relax, dream, have fun or express yourself.

Tellier-Loumagne,  Francoise,  2006, The art of embroidery.Thames and Hudson, New York.