colour

Hawthorne & Heaney visits Bridget Riley at the Hayward

November 20, 2019 by Natasha Searls-Punter

On Thursday we were lucky enough to visit the eagerly anticipated exhibition of Bridget Riley’s most comprehensive body of work (spanning an incredible 70 years), on display at the Haywood Gallery.

It was quite a unique experience in the way that the concept behind the paintings made you really think about the theory behind colour, art is about looking; and this exhibition really brings that to your attention. It was also unique in the physical way that the paintings made your eyes and brain hurt – (but in a good way of course!)

The following images are from my favorite series of works:

Stripes and Diagonals. “At the core of colour is a paradox. It is simultaneously one thing and several things – you can never see colour by itself, it is always affected by other colours.” (Bridget Riley, 2009).

Bridget Riley, Chant 2, 1967

Finding that colour is unstable and tangible, Riley used stripes and to bring about powerful colour interactions – pairing or grouping colours along horizontal or vertical stripes, mixing and creating an illusion of hues.

This was one of my favorite series as the work is simple, in the form of perfect clean lines of pigment, but the mixture of colours really make your eyes work and see colours that aren’t there. It isn’t until you go close up to the painting that you can really see what colours the paintings really possess.

Curves “When colours are twisted along the rise and fall of a curve their juxtapositions change continually” (Bridget Riley, 2009).

This series really made my head go in a spin – I think that even from the photos that I took, you can see the illusion of the waves moving and swirling. It is amazing to think that the paint is static, yet with the application of line and colour, there is so much movement.

Bridget Riley, Drift 2, 1966

Studies “The working process is one of discovery and it is worth remembering that the word discovery implies an uncovering of that which is hidden.” (Bridgit Riley, 2019). – I love this quote – it complies the meaning of creative experimentation perfectly.
I found this part of the exhibition fascinating as it showed us the ideas and some of the mathematical and theoretical workings behind the pieces. They were in themselves, very much pieces of art – intricately applied and thought out. It also made you really appreciate just how much thought and time goes into creating the final pieces of work.

Riley produces full-scale preparatory drawings, from which studio assistants under her assistance complete the final work. This gives her the time to solely work on the theory and studies behind the paintings.

Black-and-White “The basis of my paintings is this: that in each of them a particular situation is stated. Certain elements within that situation remain constant. Others precipitate the destruction of themselves by themselves.”(Bridget Riley, 1965).

Bridget Riley, Fall, 1963

Bridget Riley, Blaze 1, 1962

Even with the absolute basic level – simply black and white paint, the illusion is arguably even stronger. Maybe it’s the contrast or the simplicity that draws it back in but it was an amazing way to end the exhibition.

Overall I was really impressed by the exhibition, I thought it was well laid out and portrayed a real story. The surroundings didn’t take away from the paintings but added something to them – they really made you focus in on the work and allowed space for reflection.

“The eye roams and the brain roams with it. You think you get it, and then you don’t”.

(Guardian, 2019)

The exhibition is on until 26th Jan 2020 and I highly recommend a visit if you get the chance.

Hawthorne & Heaney for Kalms

September 20, 2018 by Natasha Searls-Punter

Hawthorne and Heaney are very fortunate have a a great variety of work that comes through our door which means that you may have unknowing seen our work.

Earlier this year, we worked on a piece for the advertising campaign for ‘Kalms’. They wanted to create an embroidery of their slogan onto the duvet with the real life packet.

The colour of the stitching was very important that it would photograph true against the colours of the packaging so we spent some time testing a few threads before settling on this one as the strongest option. The texture of the stitching was also very important to them as they wanted it to have a very hand embroidered feel, but the stitching is done by machine. Therefore we chose a cotton thread which is also used for hand embroidering and paid special attention to the direction of the stitched to make them look like they flow naturally, like ink from a pen.

We were very please with the end result, and feel that we achieved what we were trying to achieve with this project. Have you seen it about?

Hawthorne and Heaney Visits Burberry Maker’s House

October 27, 2016 by Hasina Akther

Burberry is one of the most acclaimed British fashion houses, and to celebrate their Spring/Summer 2017 collection, Burberry partnered up with The New Craftsmen to hold a week long exhibition at Maker’s House, Soho. This event showcased the best of British craftsmen, designers and makers as well as the latest Burberry collection.

As you make your way into the house, you walk through the garden which is covered in fairy lights with large white sculptures of heads, figures and giant horses creating a magical atmosphere before you’ve entered the building.

The house was divided into sections, the first floor is where the makers set up their studio for the day. Each day there are a new group of makers, from jewelry makers, basket makers and textile designers. Whilst I was there, I was lucky enough to see the work of Shepherds Book Binders, sculptor Thomas Merrett, textile designers Rosalind Wyatt and Rose De Borman and even got to listen to storytelling from Pindrop studios. Watching all of this was very exciting, especially to see the work that goes into their practice.

Downstairs is where they displayed giant mood boards showing the inspiration behind Burberry’s SS17 collection designed by Christopher Bailey. For this collection, Bailey took inspiration from the novel ‘Orlando’ by Virginia Woolf, where in the novel the protagonist’s gender changes halfway through. He also drew influences from Nancy Lancaster’s interior design, using her sense of colour and floral designs.

At the very top of the Makers House is where the Burberry collection was located. Each look was presented across the room with music playing in the background. There was a huge screen where we could watch the catwalk show and this was held here in the Makers House. We found out that even the carpet was bespoke designed for the show!

The colours in the collection ranged from black and gold to soft mint greens and pinks. Shapes and techniques used alongside the colours captured both feminine and masculine qualities and this fits the story of Orlando.

This collection was also celebrated as this was the first time the garments were available to buy immediately after the show. Normally it takes around six months to buy what you see on the catwalk.

This was truly a beautiful collection and a great way for everyone to experience and celebrate London Fashion Week.

Hawthorne & Heaney for A V Robertson

September 22, 2016 by Natasha Searls-Punter

If you follow our Instagram, then you may have seen our post earlier in the week about the Fashion East show which we were delighted to have played a part in. The mancunian designer, A V Robertson who specialises in embellished womenswear created a collection of elegant looks with an abundance of 3D leaves and hand embroidered elements. We were responsible for creating the leaves and petals that grow out of the garments, each of which was individually hand made.

The process started with making hundreds of meters bias binding which would seal and finish each of the pieces. As you can see Amie from A V Robertson had chosen a very exciting colour palette to work with, so there were many combinations to choose from.

After pressing all the binding into shape, it was then applied to the center fabric that made up the body of the leaves.

With 8 colours of binding, 13 fabric insides and 8 leaf shapes, there were hundreds of potential combinations.

Then it was over to Amie to put her creations all together, if you would like to see the whole collection, click here for the vogue website.

Hawthorne & Heaney at the Missoni Art Colour Exhibition

July 28, 2016 by Hasina Akther

One of the most respected designer brands that has been in the creative industry for many years has ventured to London’s greatest Fashion and Textiles Museum to give you an insight into the creative processes of their italian fashion house. Ottavio and Rosita Missoni, the founders of Missoni, have developed their brand into various avenues across design world and we went to check out what Fashion, Interior and Art work the exhibition had to offer.

Missoni Art Colour

The exhibition begins with a traditional art gallery layout where you see many inspiration paintings from abstract artists like Sonia Delaunay and Bella and Gino Severini. It is clear to see the similarities in all the paintings displayed highlighting what elements the couple liked and wanted to develop into their own designs.

Ottavio Missoni chose to create many wall hangings made with knitted patchwork. Many of these are displayed around the exhibition so it is possible to see them both close up and from a distance. Although many colours are used throughout all of the wall hangings it is clear to see that all combinations have been carefully considered.

Wall hangings – Missoni Art Colour

By creating wall hangings with no real structure other than the original construction allowed Ottavio to have a unique way of merging his interest of art and fashion. These wall hangings were the basis and textile research for when he developed his work in a new form to produce fashion collections.

Garment collection – Missoni Art Colour

Missoni knitted jumper, iconic ‘Made in Italy’ label – Missoni Art Colour

Missoni is well known for its fashion collections but also a lot of its woven materials have been used in the interior industry. A room is dedicated to many mirrors and carpets all using the Missoni patterns. An exclusive documentary is played in this room which gives you more of an insight to the makings of all avenues of the Missoni brand from the perspective of the Missoni family themselves.

Interior room – Missoni Art Colour

If you would like to visit this exhibition it is on from 6 May – 4 September 2016.

Open Tuesdays to Saturdays, 11am–6pm

Thursdays until 8pm

Sundays, 11am–5pm

Last admission 45 minutes before closing

Closed Mondays

£9.90 adults / £7.70 concessions / £6 students

By Philippa Martin