Hermione Crowe United Kingdom
Textiles designer/maker/tutor specialising in embroider, knitting, crochet and spinning.
I am a Textiles practitioner specialising in construct textiles. All the work I create explores colour – how we see it, how it can be used to represent identities and ideas around combatting chromophobia (the idea that colour is infantile, foreign, unprofessional - especially prevalent in the western world). I am also interested in the idea that textiles craft can be inherently therapeutic, feminist and can act as a universal tactile lacguage. I have exhibited at Gawthorpe Hall, June 2017, in the Significance exhibition. As well as showing my work alongside fellow graduates and tutors such as Alice Kettle, I ran a workshop teaching the traditional embroidery technique of darning – which was intrinsic to my work and a sustainable attitude towards textiles. We also took this exhibition to the Knit and Stitching show at Alexandra Palace and Harrogate in 2016.
After this I had to look at making my practice more commercial, turning many of my fabric samples into bags and scarves to sell at events such as YRAM and WoolJ13 in 2018 and joined artist/maker network Fabrication, where I met Piers Edsall who I work for now at Environmetal Art. I am also a Textiles workshop tutor promoting wellbeing through learning skills such as knitting, crocheting, embroidery, darning and spinning. I can provide workshops for arts events/festivals and in community venues as one off workshops, taught courses or as drop-in sessions. I have an in depth knowledge of textiles and fibres from my degree and experience working with people of all ages and abilities. I provide a friendly and supportive environment to learn craft skills and all the resources you need to unlock your creative potential. I have run workshops at ASMbly Fest in Leeds, as well as the Arts Barge in York, and at craft shops The York Makery and Knit & Stitch. I now teach through Environmental Art.
I am currently creating a series of sculptures in collaboration with Piers Edsall, it has been fun working with some one whose medium (metal and woodwork) is such a textural contrast to my soft, vibrant yarn work. We wanted to make a collection of work that was accessible and inclusive, celebrating diversity in the community in an inspiring and thought provoking way. Working with a 3D artist helps me find ways for traditional textile processes to be used playfully for example applying the principles of darning to large metal structures and creating my own machine knitted yarns to wrap frames with, creating unusual textures with a striking visual impact. We are working to bring accessible and inclusive arts to North Yorkshire, starting with Malton Sculpture Trail.
Artwork
Colour Curation, 2016