Who are you?
I'm Dia, I've always liked being creative, even from a young age, enjoying sewing, knitting and hand embroidery. I became very interested in Modern Art as a teenager.
How did you get into textiles?
After retirement, I reconnected with my creativity and decided to investigate other media to increase my skills. I like strong colours, shapes and abstract images. My current work, exploring different media, reflects that, as well as my early interest in Modern Art
What are your creative influences and What or who inspired you?
My secondary school art teacher inspired me and introduced me to modern art. I started to look at Modern Art and liked the paintings and styles of Karel Appel, Piet Mondrian, Marc Chagall and Franz Marc. In the sixties, Finnish art and design influenced my art. As a 15 year old I was inspired by the Franz Marc horse painting and printed my version using a template of a horse.
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| Template of a Horse, 1959 |
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| Printed onto Paper, 1959 |
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| Printed onto Linen, 1959 |
What inspires your work?
What I hear and see around me.
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| Mixed Media Twisted Vessel. |
This vessel is my first textile piece I made at an embroidery group and it encouraged me to explore textiles further.
What are your favourite techniques to use?
At the moment, I am exploring Embellishing, Needle-felting and Wet-felting techniques.
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| Sossusvlei Nambia |
How did find your creative style?
I am still developing a creative style and am learning new skills and techniques by doing workshops.
Describe your style in 5 words
Colours
Shapes
Abstract
Images
Slow
What do you do if you hit a creative block?
When I have creative block, I leave my work until the answer comes to me on how to proceed.
Do you dabble in any other crafts/art?
I enjoy flower arranging.
Dia
Thank you Dia, it's been great to find out more about you.
Becca
