I went to hear James Hunting speak at Colchester Embroiderers' Guild on Saturday. Just before attending, a friend said he was not a particularly good speaker so I was less then enthused before the event. As it happens I found him excellent and my notes are worth writing up:
The importance of creative exchange and approach: He is a "stitcher". He was at Goldsmiths in the 1980s. Taught by heavyweights - Eirian Short, Audrey Walker, Constance Howard ... Technical tradition: went beyond , + drawing - leads to evolution to new. Strong on how and why using a particular process. But also directionless. Made you think. Also made you unemployable.
He had a casual work opportunity as an embroiderer. Discovered an affinity to handle needle and thread. In 80s London had a niche embroidery market. He did fashion and theatre for 20 years. Hates Fashion industry. Loves working with beautiful fabrics and skilled knowledgeable people. Petit Mains. Unknown knowledgeable people. Respected their skill and understanding of fabrics. His last 5 years was in Paris. He was an embroiderer for hire. No emotional attachment beyond the fabric. Process enabled him to be with fabric. All hand held, working on completed garments. No frames - marks fabric. Only uses linen and silk.
At 40 needed change. Designers changed - less respect for embroiderer and low cost sought. Trained as teacher. Loved FE. Loved doing own work. "I'm an artist". Nursery garden piece. The gardener. Filling oneself with flowers. Own identity - pretty. He loves pretty. Self portrait. Male embroiderer unusual and gives power. Unnecessarily. He is unpretentious about what he is. Likes pretty flowers.
Flower tattoos. Enjoyed colour, and art and stitch. Applied for EG scholarship. Now a selector for EG scholarship. 2 per year, 1 over and 1 under age 30. £1000 bursary, plus own stall at Knit & Stitch, and mentoring. Shows focus your mind. When judged by your peers, galvanises you into action! People deserve honesty about your work. Then his work was abstract. Looking at pattern. Now too busy and pointless for his taste now. Need to challenge radition.
Masters. This should not be a 4th year of a degree. Goldsmiths used to insist on 5 years experience before masters. His masters was after 20 years. Went to Cumbria to do Contemporary Craft MA, to investigate stitch. Difficult time in life - relationship breakdown - hard work on MA. Horizons important to him. Always lived by sea. Signify escape and potential for what happens over the horizon. No titles, no explanation of his works - for you to decide what it is about, what is going on.
Draws constantly. Uses tracing paper. Conks costantly but does not plan via drawing. Don't pretent to draw with the needle. Stitch with it. Stitch is enough. His work mirrors where he is in life. Uses 3 main stitches. Blanket, couching, stem. Occasional french knot. Important to know how to use them for meaning. Takes lots of close up images. Gesture of making the stitch is important.
Was course leader (?) at Royal School of Needlework degree (?). They are very into "stitch" and "technique and tradition". Very technique based. To him what is important is how to get the gesture of the stitch right, to enable what you want to say. For him there is a place for the technical specialist, but the gesture of the stitch and the message are what is important. Implied this is why he has recently parted company with them. He wants people to look at his work (first), then get a feeling about it (second), then ask how is it done (last). Wants people to understand their feeling, not be focussing on the techniques used. Decorative = fashion (unimportant to him. Technique not important. Reaction is what it is about.
Rant. If a painting is shown - judgement, view, opinion - all seem to be acceptable. If textile, we seem to give people permission not to like our work. If compliments given about textile, makers then point out all the faults, and self criticise our work. Painters and artists don't do this. If textile people receive compliments, just say "thanks".
He returned to drawing. Beckham - metrosexual - in adverts. Liked feminist textile art. Considered how to look at work. Looked at computer tracking of eye movements. How the eye moves around and looks at things people are not aware of. Includes details to provoke. "Stroke them with a brick, don't hit them with it". Major cricitism of modern art colleges - laziness in thought process.
Books show technique, but don't show how to handle and manipulate the fabric. You need teaching. RSN degree very technique based. Their degree is valid but we don't have jobs for embroiders. All gone to China. We need people who understand embroidery. He was very proud of thoughtful output students.
Participated in "Unravelled" (EG?) exhibitions in NT houses, where the theme is to respond to the environment. Life below stairs. Footmen. Paid by height and looks. Eye candy. Set the table, put out flowers, stand attentively while dinner served. Servants had object status. Drew translucent line drawings - you can see through them.
Linen - look of memeories. Grannies. Hates nostalgia. Loathes the terms "vintage", "quirky", and "nostalgia". Linen sheets held women back - cumbersome and time consuming. He uses new linen, with discharge paste. Gives fake history - empties out history. He is into accurate memories - sad, embarrassing, ugly - true. Nostalgia sweetens artificially - so he dislikes it.
Don't show off techniques. Use them to express a mark. Loves stitch. Loves ironing it. Once finished, let go. Relationship is in the making. 5/6 pieces in each series. Constance Howard " if someone wants to buy it, flog it". Don't be precious about your work.
Works better with a deadline. Structures work to finish in time.
Very difficult to work with personal relationships. Feels very exposed. But this makes his work good. Left Paris exhibition. Work has become lighter and celebratory. Returned to silk. Beauty and lightness of touch. In Cumbria his work was heavier and darker. Take risks otherwies you value the process more than the message. Better to unpick, change or cut up to move on work that is mediocre. Eg change colour when you need. Not essential to use up all the thread in your needle first! Less is more. Fewer stitches now. Stitches fast. Free. We are makers. Fallible.
Chanel "The stitches are quite crude. They are done by hand, so they look like they are done by hand".
Puts tracing paper on top of fabric to position image. Works onto discharged fabric. Don't draw on fabric. Always shows. Don't draw on tissue - rips. Trace onto silk organza. Tack on. Stitch imagery and shred out organza. Keeps control of design. Can refine as he goes. Gives very fine lines. Does not pin. Always tacks. Celebrated his love for embroidery. Small scale stitches. Not thick threads. Does not frame. Need to breathe and move. But framed work sells better.
Does lots of research. Does work to commission but finds difficult. Uses much found material eg photos. Textile art getting lost. Needs context and history. A depth behind it. Celebrate the history of textile.
Yoko Ono - "there is no good art and bad art - there is just art"
Controversial is best. Don't want to go there - but he needs to.
He is not a machine operator. Likes the hand.
Very free pricing structure. Discussion with Gavin his partner. Bandies prices between them. Thinks of it as dignified pricing. Must be worth his effort, but not ridiculous.
I very much enjoyed his talk, and he seemed to make a lot of sense.
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