Anna Ray
Textile sculptor
Leeds, United Kingdom
Muralistic textiles alive with colour
- Anna’s pieces result from sewing techniques and a painter's approach to colour
- She considers her practice a form of play inspired by memories and objects
- She works on large-scale textural works and smaller assemblages
Creativity has always come naturally to embroiderer and textile artisan Anna Ray, who grew up watching her mother draw, paint and sew. Her practice blurs the line between craft and fine art, drawing on memory and the visual forms of the world. Anna works with needle and thread, or on her sewing machine, using fibre-based materials including cotton, silk and wool. Her abstract three-dimensional assemblages allow her to synthesise her emotions and imagination with her experience of the world. In particular, her large-scale textural pieces capture the magnitude of the Yorkshire moors that surrounded her as a child. "My art is a way of sharing myself with others, without words," Anna says.
INTERVIEW
It is hard to pinpoint where the creative process actually begins. Sometimes, a visual will suddenly appear in my mind like an old slide dropping into a projector. This image or fragment might be conjured from the memory of an object or simply through the handling of a material.
With each new series, I try to change the way that I work. I solve problems as I go, exploring materials, questioning colour possibilities and playing with structure. For modular works, I arrange elements until the work finds its form, working towards the most exciting visual and emotive outcome.
Seeing my early large-scale artwork, Knot, installed in the altar space of a Romanesque church in Como, Italy, was pivotal for me. The mass of knotted, coloured strands appeared to vibrate beneath the painted frescos of the surrounding walls, as if the artwork was absorbing all of the colour.
Hand stitching is particularly expressive. Much like handwriting, whether done roughly or invisibly with hidden stitches, it reveals the maker’s personality. It is an ancient process, practical for daily tasks such as darning or sewing on a button, yet it can be elaborated through embroidery.
Anna Ray
Textile sculptor
Leeds, United Kingdom
ADDRESS
Address upon request, Leeds, United Kingdom
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
LANGUAGES
English, French
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