I am delighted to become a member of seam collective this year and look forward to our collaborations.
I am a painter – working with cloth as an essential component in a practice which includes making painted clothing and scarves, large scale paintings and installations with cloth and glass.
I own a tiny gallery/shop in Abbey Green in the middle of Bath called Waller&Wood. Here, Gary Wood exhibits his stoneware ceramics, I sell my clothing, and we show a collection of contemporary British artists’ jewellery.
My inspiration comes from a sense of place and a fascination with light, colour and a sense of time passing. I make the clothes and scarves to ensure that my work leaves my control, as it passes into the ownership of a wearer, who brings it to life.
I have been working since 1986 on this project and am nowhere near finished! I have sold through Harvey Nichols, Liberty , Bergdorf Goodman and Julie Gallery in New York for many years … but eventually decided to give up Paris Fashion Week and concentrate on developing my own retail space.
Collections since I moved into Abbey Green have been obsessed with the Roman city below me, the Georgian city around me and the pavements which separate these layers in time. However, this Spring Collection is inspired by Venice – its facades, its light and colours.
I also make large scale paintings on unstretched cloth for exhibitions and to commission. These hang like tapestry – against a wall or in three dimensional space. They often play with light in a specific environment and use semi-transparent surfaces to cause shadows and texture.
‘Georgina’ painting on silk/viscose 4m x 1.2m
A project for the Forestry Commission back in 2004 required work which would withstand an outdoor environment for three months and this lead to another stream of work in which I laminate paintings on the fine etched membranes of silk between toughened glass. This has lead to some exciting public arts projects, a major award from Arts Council England to private and corporate commissions – the most recent of which was for the new health suite of an hotel in Bath, No 15 Great Pulteney.
‘Gravity’: paintings on silk laminated between glass at Westonbirt Arboretum 2004
I teach ‘colour into cloth’ from my studio three miles out of the Bath – and at West Dean College twice a year. We explore painting, screenprint and transfer printing for a wide range of applications depending on the aims of the student. Weekly classes, weekend workshops and longer courses are all suitable for anyone who is interested in working with fabric and mark making.
SO do come along to Waller&Wood in Abbey Green where Gary and I are to be found and delighted to meet you and show you our work – sell it to you – or take commissions for special projects!
Detail of a painted and screenprinted silk scarf – Abbey Green 2018
Carole Waller
seam 