Inspiration? Where can I get it? What will inspire me?

Inspiration? Where can I get it? What will inspire me?

I often get asked about my inspiration for any kind of art project. I understand why people ask me that, it can be hard when you are told "Have 30 new ideas for a new collection! NOW! START!"

Here are some things which help me:

1. Keep a camera phone on me so I can photograph all the nice textures, colours and subjects I see, like the owls here.

2. Keep a mini sketchbook in my handbag. I have had big ones but I just give up carrying them.

3. Go and buy every book on travel or animals or whatever in every local charity shop and cut them up to make a wall full.

4. Vogue magazine - still the best.

5. Do art projects with my daughter or other kids, which leads to grown up ideas for me.

6. Go to an exhibition, V&A, Tate National, and London Textile and Fashion Museum are really good.

7. Talk to someone with a different art form about there project, my musician friends give me inspiration for visual art - go figure.

8. Finally start on the ideas you have and new ones will come out of working, don't second guess your ideas and wait for a better one to start.

I hope this is helpful to there artists and designers. 

Best, Kirsteen

Exhibition at the London Fashion and Textiles Museum - Artists Textiles

Exhibition at the London Fashion and Textiles Museum - Artists Textiles 

This exhibition features the fabric designs of famous artists.  http://ftmlondon.org

I went to this exhibition and was really inspired. As a Textile Designer who came from a family of painters and then learned the rules of textile design at uni I found it liberating. I can ignore the rules! I can return to my painter roots and create much less traditional fabrics.

The Exhibition features fabrics from Dali, Picasso, Ben Nicholson, Chagall, Matisse and many more.

I took a few pictures.

(Thank you to the FTM for permission to take and use photos).

The London Fashion and Textiles Museum.

It's in a nice bit of London.

The fabrics

Ben Nicholson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Nicholson

Duncan Grant

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_Grant

John Piper

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Piper_(artist)

Pablo Picasso

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Picasso

An advert for the Picasso fabric.

Rockwell Kent

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockwell_Kent

And many more. It is a really inspiring exhibition.

Kirsteen Lyons

kirsteenann@gmail.com

London Textile Fair

I am pleased that Pattern Observer used my photos and words in their blog.

Here is my report on the London Textile Fair

http://patternobserver.com/2014/01/28/the-london-textile-fair

London Textile Fair

London Textile Fair

Business Design Centre, Islington, London

 21-22 January 2014

I have to admit that when you work for yourself, you can sometimes find you are working in a bubble, and too much alone, so perhaps this is why I was ridiculously excited about going to the London Textile Fair. www.businessdesigncentre.co.uk

The London Textile Fair was in three parts: The main hall, for textile manufacturers and their UK agents, the accessories and trims hall and an upstairs gallery for print design studios. http://thelondontextilefair.co.uk

The standard and variety of prints, in the print studio section of the show, was world class, and I received a lot of warm and encouraging responses, to my questions, about the state of the printed textile design industry today.

In the main hall textile manufacturers were very willing to look at portfolios and artwork, weather from studios or freelancers. “It is the artwork that matters, not where it comes from.”  was the response I kept getting.

Islington has an aliveness too, I loved the little vintage boutiques and markets.

The whole experience gave me, not only a lot of new contacts and avenues to do business on but also an impression that I was part of a creative and successful design scene in London and further afield.

Kirsteen Lyons

BA (Hons) Printed Textile Design, MD / Designer

Kindle and iPad Cases by Kirsteen Lyons BA (Hons)

Here are the lovely quality kindle and iPad cases.

Previously my designs here were only available as snap on phone cases.