Art On Our Doorstep - by Erica

I attended the 'Art On Our Doorstep' pop up contemporary art fair today (14th June) in the Whitgift Centre, central Croydon. It was an art show if approx 8-10 exhibitors, all with a connection to Croydon.

While most exhibitors were photographers, printers and illustrators (plus one ceramicist) there were two textile artists - a quilter (jesslittlewood.com) and a weaver (@m_johndesign).

While there were only a few pieces on display, the artists were there right next to their artwork and happy to chat about their beginnings in the craft, their inspirations and design processes. I enjoyed this aspect of the show - getting to speak with other creatives about their passion. We don't often get to meet the people behind the quilts when we visit a quilt exhibition, so this was a nice change.

The quilts were bright and colourful and inspired by the artists garden, including 3D cabbages! The texture in these was achieved by stitching the fabric cabbage leaf all over with a running stitch which was gathered as she went along - it was very effective.

The weaver also explored colour and texture in her pieces. It was interesting to see the colour effects that can be achieved by swapping the weft thread. We also spoke about how she experiments with different materials in the weft, such as clear nylon thread, palm strips and even wire and how the different textures give different life and syructure to the pieces.

Overall it was an enjoyable way to spend a bit of time if you find yourself in the city centre this weekend.