HappenArt

Rosie James
Artist, Maker, Researcher, Teacher
Location : Rochester (UK)

I take my first point of reference from crowds and large gatherings of people. Looking for the detail in the ordinary but also the commonality within the group. Photo are used to still movement and to reveal details. Hence, these photographs are then used to create drawings. I sew these drawings onto fabric using a sewing machine. I use transparent fabric and I leave loose threads. Thus revealing and celebrating the process of sewing. Transparent cloth alllows me to layer the drawings on top of each other. So to build up a crowd which allows us to see through it.
My work also includes screen printed buildings, windows, roofs and skylines. These elements create a sense of atmosphere and build links between the people and their location. The black line of the thread is a seductive one, raised from the surface it is tactile and sightly fuzzy at the edges, velvety. This is one of the things that draws me to the sewing machine rather than the pencil.