Statement

My practice represents the art of crochet using realistic oil paintings, and the pieces from this year form the ‘Art of Making’ series. Traditional painting materials such as canvas and oil paints and established painting methods such as realism and trompe l’oeil are used to elevate the craft into the artistic space. For example, the works highlight the hidden aspects of crochet, display the tedious nature of the craft by replicating crochet techniques through painting, and depict the act of crocheting itself. My interest in trompe l’oeil was sparked when viewing Lucy McKenzie’s retrospective at the Tate Liverpool in February 2022, and this technique along with her Quodlibet works, which are carefully curated compositions made to look random, have been heavily drawn upon. Additionally, the “revalidation of craft”[1] is explored in the work of Su Richardson, and her crochet piece Burnt Breakfast (1975) questions the position of women in the home and highlights the domestic labour of women - ideas that are central to my practice.

Oil painting is associated with a male form of art making; however, here it is applied to a craft-based form of work that is typically associated with women, and I am occupying a space that was historically reserved for men but subverting this by depicting the textile arts. The work represents the tension between the act of painting and crochet, as this craft is an activity that is usually completed in the domestic sphere by women, whereas painting is more public and enacted in a professional studio environment. Crochet typically remains in the possession of the family, whereas paintings become public objects and collect monetary value, and this relationship is demonstrated through the paintings. My work also highlights the large investment of time, effort, and skill in the representation of crochet.

Crochet Quodlibet (2023) highlights various tools associated with crocheting that are usually hidden. I drew on Lucy McKenzie’s Quodlibet works by carefully choosing a selection of crochet-related items and arranging them in a seemingly haphazard way, and this reflects how, to the untrained eye, the craft can appear relatively trivial, when it is actually very careful and deliberate. Jeff Wall’s “cinematographic photographs” demonstrate similar ideas, as although his images initially appear simple, he laboriously recreates situations he encounters which can sometimes take upwards of a year. The grid that forms the background of this painting is also reminiscent of Laura Owens’ abstract paintings.

Tools of the Craft (2023) depicts the organza bag I use to store all my crochet materials in 1:1 scale with a painted wooden background using trompe l’oeil techniques. The detailed, life-sized bag also contrasts to the expansive background. Miguel Angel Nuñez’s paintings of apples and grapes amongst cellophane led to an exploration of how to paint a similar material or bag in a crochet context.

Four Generations (2024) is an extremely personal work that explores familial themes and depicts a collection of carefully painted crochet ‘granny squares’. It represents the four generations of crocheters on my mother’s side by emulating a blanket that my grandmother and great-grandmother crocheted together, which was passed down to my mother. The colours and patterns were all inspired by this blanket, and each square corresponds with a crocheted counterpart. This work was also originally exhibited hanging from the ceiling, to ensure it acted more like a blanket rather than a painting.

For the final Degree Show, these three previous works are exhibited alongside two new paintings. The first of these is Granny Square (2024), which depicts a singular crocheted ‘granny square’, and uses the same blanket as a reference for the colours and patterns. These works were the most time consuming, and the painstaking nature of crochet is represented. Federico Zandomeneghi’s The Hook (1901) also contains similar themes of crochet and family.

Crocheting Hands (2024) is the second new work. It depicts my hands crocheting with an added crochet element both on the canvas itself and around the frame. It is also painted in shades of pink and purple rather than true to life colours, and the use of these unnatural and ‘girly’ colours plays on this craft typically being classed as feminine. This work represents the culmination of an exploration into gender and the domestic, through an occupation of a male dominated space and highlighting a traditionally female practice through artwork.

[1] Polomar, MK, ‘Su Richardson: Interview’, Studio International (March 2018) https://www.studiointernational.com/index.php/su-richardson-interview-burnt-breakfast-home-strike-letrangere