Leela & Bee

Recently I was asked to create an illustration for the Zizzi Kenilworth. I invited one of my best friends Anna O Neil (Bee) to team up with me for this venture. I have been friends with Bee for a long time. Initially, we got to know each other during our portfolio course at the Central Technical Institute in our hometown of Waterford. After our year in the CTI we moved to Wales to study at the West Wales School of the Arts. That was where the fun began!!!! We lived together with two of our other best buddies for three years and it was probably the greatest time I've had so far!  
I began by studying fashion design at WWSOTA and struggled with the rigidity of the subject for two years. I was lost in a mass of unaccounted seem allowances and miscalculated patterns....I just wanted to illustrate and be creatively freeeeeeee. Bee kept telling me to move to textiles, actually from week one in first year she told me I should be there but I had pledged allegiance with the fashion department an was uneasy about moving.

Eventually at the end of the second year she finally convinced me and so I made the move to Textiles. It was the best decision I've ever made and I will be forever grateful to Bee to giving me the kick to do so!

This reaffirms our similarities and I have always thought that if we could team up and collaborate it could amount to something fantastic! Thankfully, Zizzi thought so too and so allowed us to work together for their Kenilworth revamp.

It was one of the most enjoyable ventures I've worked on so far...I'm hoping team Leela & Bee will get some more opportunities for creative mash ups!!!

you can see some of Anna's work here... http://www.flickr.com/photos/annaoneill/

Diverse Talents

I am taking part in a collaborative exhibition this month with the Workhouse studios. The show will bring together designer makers from a range of different backgrounds. showcasing jewelry, ceramics, glass and textiles. The show opens on may 30th and runs until June 25th..be sure to pop in if you're around the Wicklow area.

...and here's a sneaky peek of some of the work I will have on show

New Designers 2009

The class of 2009 at New Designers, London. 2009

So I'm back and have finaly recovered from a hectic 2 weeks in London (including New Designers). The show went really well. The graduate work was unbelievable- everyone was so different and equally amazing, it was both ispiring and terrifying!!! The were lots of people around also and it was great to hear such good feedback from the public, students and people workinf in the industry. I sold some work and have had some offers for other exhibitons. I was also selected, amoungst 26 other graduates from New Designers, to show our work at the Kintting and Stitch show in October which will be on in London and Dublin, very excited about that.

We had a really big stand this year which was great Because we got to hang so much of our original work...

and here's my work on display...

They've given me a degree!!

So I just got home to lovely irish land yesterday and am now the proud owner of a BA 1st class hons Textiles degree. Home for two weeks then over to London for New designers. The show runs from the 6th of July until the 11th so if you are about London town do come for a look at all the amazing things on show. I've started work on the website so it should be up and running soon.

and so here are some more images for you...

Lis x

The show is up and atom!!

So the college show is now running into its second week. The work on display is AMAZING and, although I am very bias, I do believe it's one of the best years yet. The opening night was last Friday where everyone's tough year of work was awarded with a celebration of live music and cheap wine, lots of fun was had by all!! Here's some photos of my installation, the pictures don't really do it justice as it was impossible to photograph it in the round due to the enclosed nature of the space (7 boards each one 7ft x 4ft creating an enclosed hexagonal installation.) Anyways it will give you an idea, talk soon, lis x

...and to end, here is a family photo of my three best buds and me (the ginger!)

three pears short of a lemon tree

Until I get my website up and running I am stitching my roots here in this blog! I'll begin by telling you a bit about myself... I am an illustrator/textiles artist studying Contemporary Textiles in WWSOTA (west wales school of the arts). Originally I am from Ireland, I moved over here 3years ago to frolic with the baby lambs down in the valleys...and to do my degree! I began studying fashion, I've always been a huge follower of the area; especially the styling and photographic side. However once I started studying it, my passion almost completely disappeared in a frenzy of mis-cut patterns and badly sewn hems....pattern cutting was definately NOT for me!!

One thing I did take from the two years in fashion however was illustration and for that introduction I am so greatful. Because of my disaterous dressmaking skills I decided I would concentrate on illustration full time and so I upped and moved to the textiles department in college (a much happier land!!) I just made the move this year (my final year) and so i had a lot to catch up on. I decided because of the time factor, I would concentrate on developing my screen printing and stitching techniques, assets I thought would give my illustrations a quirky twist amoung the mass of digital work being produced at present.

The past year has been brilliant, sometimes horrible and stressful, dismal too..those days were pretty bad. But now that it's all done those days are forgotten. The college show opens next Monday (the 5th of June)...hopefully this is where all the hard work pays off.

Thanks for taking the time to check out my blog, I hope it's somewhere you'll enjoy returning to in the future to look at some pretty pictures and read my random ramblings :)

before you go, heres a wee look at what I do/did

(art students actually do things sometimes you know!)

This is a stitched picture... a lot of people say it looks like Lilly Allen. I don't think she'd be too impressed if she heard that!

..another stitched picture. My friend is actually using this for the next issue of his art and design magazine 'Pinback.'

These are some of my t-shirts from my final collection. All tshirts are hand printed (using silk screen printing) and hand embellished by moi

and here are some of my ceramics..

I will post some pictures of the exhibition soon, lis :) x