Jan
12
I often find that January offers a bit of a false start to the year, a long break for festivities and merriment proves difficult to break free from. I have managed to change my mindset and begin another year of work and creativity. This year I will be attending the British Craft Trade Fair, there is much to prepare and I have decided to launch my textile design company as a new separate entity at this event. Up to now I have been working on both my fine art and the textile design company concurrently, this will in effect continue. I will remain designing contemporary textiles accessories for you and your home but the Fonzie brand will soon stand alone as a company leaving Nicolette Lafonseca-Taylor, me, to concentrate more fully on future exhibitions leaving the day to day running of Fonzie in the hands of my capable staff.
During my Christmas hiatus I managed to source some beautiful vintage florals that will be lovingly stitched together to create a quilt, hopefully this will be the first of many in a new line of Fonzie quilts.
Posted in inspiration, new work
Sep
30
Life as an artist has been hectic I have almost forgotten to keep you informed about the other side of my life, my textile design company Fonzie. Let me tell you a little about how Fonzie works. I started the company because I wanted to create something ethical without loosing any of it’s contemporary style. I am not a fan of globalisation and want my company to offer well designed, well made alternative to the carbon copy products that are available on the mass market.
By carefully selecting small quantities of quality fabric and combining that with vintage materials we can produce truly unique items that are always different from one another.
I have recently purchased a new range of fabrics and am very excited about designing a new range of products.
Here is a sneak preview!
Posted in inspiration, new work
May
30
This month I took my first trip down to the Hay Festival in Marmaduke , (the camper). The whole of Hay on Wye is idyllic and beautiful and there are so many places to buy books – heaven! Whist at the festival I had an epiphany regarding the exhibition at Trinity.
My hook is the church with a capital C, the institution of the church. What does it mean to people? What role does it play in individuals and communities lives? How does it adapt to an ever changing society? Does it indeed adapt? I will explore these themes through a series of artists books. I have chosen this medium as books themselves hold a great significance when we think about the history of the church. Historically the Church was the gatekeeper of literacy and the written word – and those who wanted to know how to read and write had to approach this through the Church.
Posted in Uncategorized, inspiration
Apr
07
I spent the day at Trinity church in Leeds today drawing and taking pictures. Whenever I begin a piece of art I begin with extensive drawing, visual note taking, but it is not the aesthetics of a place that normally inspires me. I am inspired by stories, by people, by history and concept. Therefore when I am asked to create a site specific body of work the hook is not one that has already come to me, but one that I have to search for and find within the walls of this church.
Posted in exhibitions, inspiration, new work
Dec
28
In the spirit of all things December think of this as your bumper issue and not as me having too much to say.
The Yorkshire snow has been a fantastic aide to productivity, trapped indoors with nothing but a wood burner and a sewing machine for company. This is a good thing as I have so much to get ready for events in 2009, it is too easy to forget about what is coming next!
December saw my first trip to Glasgow for the Christmas art and craft market at the Collins Gallery. Glasgow is a beautiful city and wish that I had been able to see more. I will visit again when I do not have to work!
This leads me to my next point, which is an ode to Scotland. This past year I have been loosing faith in “human kindness”. My recent trip to Glasgow has restored that faith. During the time I spent there I was on the receiving end of so many random acts of kindness. From being given a cotton hankie when I sneezed to multiple rescues from being horribly lost. People were very friendly and offered so much advice and conversation, which is so nice when you are in a new city on your own. However I have to give a special shout out to my hero John. I was very ill whilst I was in Glasgow with one of those rotten winter bugs. Having to work through it had left me feeling really weak. When I was crossing George Square on Friday evening the exhaustion resulted in me passing out. This is when John came to my rescue he came over picked me up carried me to a taxi which he got in and paid for then carried me all the way to my room in the hotel. He left me with the advice of “get some rest”, and then he left, probably for more superhero activity!
Glasgow At Christmastime!
I bought a fantastic book this month from a jumble sale that I am eager to start using in my future work. The book is called “It Happened Here”, it is a collection of real stories of local events and happenings. This little book feeds into my love of narrative in art and I can’t wait to start developing ideas from it. I know how much I have enjoyed curling up on cold winter nights reading the stories and now I am armed with a sketchbook and a creative mind.
Posted in events, exhibitions, inspiration
Sep
10
I have now been informed that I have been accepted to the Contemporary Textile Fair in Teddington next March…lots of work to do!
The new shop ‘Hotcakes’ in Hebden Bridge will now be stocking a selection of my bags and brooches. Pop along and see all of the vintage and quirky items they stock…..it’s a real Aladdin’s cave, and Hebden Bridge is great day out.
On the 21st I fly out to India to start my project in the Gujurat. This is a wonderful opportunity for me to work in India especially because of my Indian heritage. I hope to spend some time visiting family in addition to working.
Upcoming events…
I know it’s early but there are only 97 days until Christmas. Don’t panic you can come and visit me and other artists twice in November to purchase beautiful and unique items.
Flare Artists and Makers
16th November, The Chapel, York Cemetery, York
30th November, The Town Hall, Ripley
Posted in events, exhibitions, inspiration, new work
Aug
26
This has been such a busy month! I spent a week a Central Saint Martins in London printing onto textile with the lovely and talented Arantaz Vilas. This was a fantastic opportunity for me to begin to marry my love of textiles and stitch with print. Some of my experiments (above). These prints are part of an exhibition I am preparing called “Upon Reflection” which is a personal retrospective that will look at my past with new and older eyes. It will explore issues of identity and identity development.
Posted in exhibitions, inspiration, new work
