The Weavers Gallery, Church Lane
Ledbury HR8 1DW
7th-13th May 2018 10am-4.30pm
Free admission
Deborah Collum explores colour and texture using a range of materials and techniques. While the exact method varies from piece to piece, she often begins with a collage of fabrics, dyed, painted or printed, machine-stitching them together before over-sewing with layers of hand embroidery and other embellishments such as beads, buttons and foils.
Deborah lives and works in a village near Stratford-upon-Avon and a strand of her recent work has been based on observations of the changing rural landscape from the viewpoint of her hillside garden. ‘I am convinced that in its quiet way Warwickshire is one of the most beautiful areas of Britain,’ she says, ‘As well as being home of course. The colours and textures of the fields and trees change daily and form a much loved and compelling tapestry.’
Other works are more abstract and may appear to be simply
a celebration of the materials: a composition of fabrics and stitch, colours and textures with the imperfections of the media – frayed edges and hanging threads – adding to the richness of the whole. ‘Each scrap of fabric has a secret back story’ she points out, ‘and every piece of my work has its own story too.’ This story is often hinted at in its title.
By incorporating vintage fabric as well as the simply old and forgotten, Deborah hopes her textile art pays tribute to all the generations of women throughout history who darned, knitted
and stitched to keep their families warm and their homes beautiful. ‘I do like to think that in my own small way I’m continuing that noble and undervalued tradition. Each piece is an act of love’.
Acts of Love can be seen at the beautiful Weavers Gallery in the historic town of Ledbury HR8 1DW 7th-13th May 2018.
Deborah Collum Love Art 