Before immersing myself in painting, I studied textile design (print) at University and it still influences my paintings today. I thought it would be interesting to explore designers that create printed patterns alongside art.
This design from Proenza Schouler, although it’s a repeated design, feels more informal and organic due to the softer pattern used and the irregular placement of the motif.
Timorous Beasties are my favourite Scottish designers. I think the way they use patterns and design is very clever. They take traditional formats of patterns, like what you might find in the likes of William Morris and update it with a fresh and innovative take.
The space where design crosses over into art is really exciting to me. Amber Day uses a mixture of screen printing, digital prints, knitting and collage to create textiles. It does remind me of contemporary artists in the form of clothing.
Many well known artists use patterns, but the first one that springs to mind is Bridget Riley. She gleans inspiration from the patterns in nature and translates these into geometric art. She is a master in optical illusion, and uses patterns and colour to create rhythmic patterns.
I couldn’t neglect to mention Andy Warhol whilst thinking about patterns in art, for his iconic pop art creations that use repeated patterns from silk screen printing.
It’s interesting to reflect on the line between designers and painters here, as there’s a lot of ‘tricks’ designers use that can be applied in art.
Do you use any patterns in your artwork?
Are you drawn to any patterns, either from your choice of clothing, furniture or within art?
I’d love to hear any thoughts you have on the topic of patterns.