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Gill Hewitt

Mixed Media Artist
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LONDON ART BIENNALE 2023

We have just returned from an incredible trip to London exhibiting Carn Galver 2 at the London Art Biennale in Chelsea.

The exhibition organisers describe it:

“About the London Art Biennale:

The London Art Biennale is a prestigious art exhibition held in London, celebrating contemporary art from around the world. With a focus on cultural diversity and creative expression, the Biennale aims to foster meaningful connections between artists and audiences while promoting the importance of art in society. The event features a diverse range of artistic mediums and styles, offering visitors a unique and immersive experience. For more information and updates, visit www.londonbiennale.co.uk.”

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A bit about my work...

September 6, 2016

My love of textiles began at a very early age, influenced by my grandmother, a weaver and embroiderer, who had cupboards full of natural fabrics and exquisite needlework. I learnt to use a sewing machine and was making my own clothes when I was 9 years old. Being brought up in Lancashire, we were surrounded by a combination of textile mills and beautiful, wild moorlands. I remember the towns being quite dark, with enormous mills overshadowing the terraced houses, making the contrast of the surrounding countryside even more impactful.

The first business I set up was designing and making hand tufted rugs. My ‘studio’ was in an unheated garage with no natural light. To keep warm, I used to wear a black balaclava, cut off gloves and a big black jacket. I managed to scare the postman a few times!

Commissions included a rug for a Contemplation Centre at a Rotterdam Hospital and a rug for the Managing Director’s suite, British Rail, Birmingham.

I now have a lovely warm, bright studio to work in. My favourite textile machine at the moment is the needle punch, which has a bed of 2,000 needles. It blends and distresses layers of fabric in very exciting and sometimes unpredictable ways, as I learnt by trial and error! Experimentation is what I most enjoy.

Working with architects and interior designers, I make large scale art panels for interiors, some of which are also sound absorbing acoustic panels.  I also make screens, blinds and soft furnishings.

Inspiration for designs is usually taken from nature, particularly the play of light and shadow on surfaces, and degradation of materials. Fabrics are hand dyed or digitally printed using my photographic imagery before being constructed on the needle punch.

I tend to ‘sketch’ with fabrics to develop the composition

← shiftWorks Returns Home to BathKatsura Shift Dress Making →

Latest Instagram posts

The back of the coat for Foraged Colour Project. Collaboration with Linda Row. foragedcolour.org. Funded by Arts Council England. 
#sustainablefashion #naturaldyes #sustainableliving #texture #textiles @hewittgill #loulourow #foragedcolour
Part of the Venice series - buildings are slowly tilting and sinking - abstract textile art blurring buildings, water and reflection.
#abstract #abstractart #textile #textileart #texture #climatechange @hewittgill
Coat for Foraged Colour project, foragedcolour.org. Funded by Arts Council England.  #foragedcolour #sustainablefashion #recycled #ethicalfashion #naturaldyes #textiles @hewittgill
Needle punching and hand embroidery on recycled denim jeans 
#recycled #repurposed #textile #texileart #texture #contemporarytextiles @hewittgill
Needle punched denim cushions
#interiordesign #colour #textiles #texture #madeinbritain @hewittgill
Great workshop today with Venetia Berry  organised by Toast - self portrait. 
#abstract #abstractportrait #toast @venetiaberry #maketimetomake #abstractart #selfportrait @hewittgill
Work in Progress 
3 sample cushions, all needle punched denim. 
#interiordesign #textiles #texture #cushions #textiledesign #handmadeinuk #gillhewitt
Needle punched on denim.  Cushions available from my website - coming soon. 
#interiordesign #cushions #texture #textile #contemporarytextiles #gillhewitt
Needle punching on denim - detail of textural cushions coming soon on my website gillhewitt.com
#texture #textiles #interiordesign #contemporaryinteriors #textileart #gillhewitt
Beautiful texture from needle punching denim. 
#texture #colour #cushions #textiles #denim #textileart #contemporarytextiles #gillhewitt
I have been making a sketchbook of paintings expressing my feelings whilst on lockdown and am now working on textile wall art inspired by these paintings.  This is a detail of work in progress - painting on left, textile on right. 
#textileart #texti
Work in Progress for the Foraged Colour project- Linda Row has begun sewing together the coat she designed for textiles made by @hewittgill for the Foraged Colour project (www.foragedcolour.org Arts Council England funded).
#foragedcolour #textiles #
Interesting texture on an old door in Bath yesterday 
#texture #sketchbook #inspiration #dilapidated #Bath #gillhewitt
Detail of texture on new work - cushions 
#newwork #texture #colour #textiles #gillhewitt #madeinBritain #cushion
Sketchbook- focussing on colour and texture #colour #texture #painting #acrylic  #sketchbook #gillhewitt
Work in Progress- shaping up - the coat for Foraged Colour project, funded by Arts Council England. Natural dyes, British wool, recycled denim base. Working collaboratively with Linda Row - Coat design by Linda Row.Textile designed and produced by Gi
Sketchbook painting - some colour to brighten the day
#abstract #colour #sketchbook #texture #gillhewitt
 

© Copyright Gill Hewitt, 2019. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission is strictly prohibited.