Belated Birthday Wishes Bill!

Hello my lovelies!

Did you know that it would've been William Morris's 132nd Birthday recently?
William was an English textile designer, craftsman, poet, novelist and socialist.

I was lucky enough to visit The William Morris Gallery in Walthamstowe, London a couple of weekends ago....

such a real treat!

I have admired William's work since my school days when I took my 'A Level Needlework' (for those not having a clue what that was, it is the equivalent of today's exams at Sixth Form!)

Most people think of his Orange Blossom designs and not a lot else if I'm honest but he was SO much more!!!!

So why DO I admire him?

Well, he was a quiet rebel of his time, an advocate for preserving traditional textile and needlework skills and a pioneer in the textile industry.

He was also a firm believer in empowering people with knowledge and information.

All of the above reasons totally sum up my philosophy in life I have to say and I know that if I ever I met him we would have been good buddies!

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When he married his wife Jane and moved into their first home, he taught himself embroidery to 

make some linen panels to decorate the walls which I love the idea of.
He wanted to know how a design worked, how the stitches rested on the fabric and how the design worked with the rest of his home.

His love of embroidery and weaving extended into the textile industry and today his designs are considered some of the finest...
For me he had such a wonderful philosophy of life which I love...

I have always been inspired by his designs.

 I especially love the fact that he wasn't bothered his designs were only an interpretation of a plant, flower or tree etc rather than the actual botanical drawing... something very much frowned upon by many of his day.

He had his own style and own thoughts and again I totally agree with that philosophy.

His free flowing form of design provided the foundation for The Arts & Craft Movement.

Have you ever thought about that question, if you held a dinner party and could invite a guest of your choice from present or past... who would you invite?

Well, Bill (I'm sure he wouldn't mind me calling him Bill) would definitely be on my list...

At school I was forever being told I didn't conform to the usual rules of art...

I struggled to sit for hours attempting to sketch an orange or a vase of flowers and yet these days

I don't give it a second thought and quite honestly don't give a noodle if my drawings are not up to The Royal School Of Art Society standard.

I simply sketch what I see in a way I can interpret my view.

At school I thought I was a failure at Art simply because I couldn't get my proportions and perspective 100% right!

Would love to meet that Art teacher today and tell him my thoughts that's for sure!

Art in whatever form is only beautiful in the eye of the beholder.

There are no rules.

For any design student or anyone with a love of design and art I strongly recommend a visit to The William Morris Gallery.

I know you will be inspired...

Even his garden has a little of Bill's inspiration about it as you wander along the paths...

Explore the internationally-renowned collections of the William Morris Gallery and learn more about the life and work of this remarkable individual and his artistic collaborators by simply clicking on the link 

  William Morris Gallery

I try to sketch a doodle here and there every day as I go about my daily life...sometimes nothing special and yet sometimes something so very special... simple snippets of everyday life that

we all take for granted in our hurried lives

have you ever doodled?

Why not give it a go...

just remember there are never any rules in life especially when it comes to art.

Happy doodling my lovelies....

Tilly

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