Visiting The ‘Paint! Pattern! Print! Exhibition’ At The Fashion and Textiles Museum, London
Back in May I went to visit the ‘Paint, Pattern, Print’ exhibition at the Fashion And Textiles Museum in Bermondsey, London. As a Live Illustrator and someone who loves surface pattern design, I couldn't wait to see this colourful exhibit!
It was a retrospective of the work of Sarah Campbell and Susan Collier - design duo sisters who worked together for over 50 years and became highly respected names in British textile design and print design.
Susan Collier sadly passed away in 2011 but Sarah Campbell is still producing a huge volume of work as a surface pattern designer, painter and textile artist.
Discovering Sarah Campbell's Colourful World of Surface Pattern Design
I originally came across Sarah’s work when I took a fabric painting course a couple of years ago at Handprinted UK in Bognor Regis. It was so much fun and a really free and expressive way to work. Instead of printing on fabric, we painted with fabric paints, using brushes and sponges. I absolutely loved how experimental the course was and would really recommend seeking out other courses taught by Sarah. If you're interested in surface pattern design, textile illustration or exploring a more expressive creative practice, you'll find her teaching incredibly inspiring. You can find out more about Sarah’s work here https://www.sarahcampbelldesigns.com/
An Inspiring Talk with Sarah Campbell
I was delighted when I heard that the exhibition of Sarah and Susan’s work would be shown at the F&T museum. I invited my friend Zoe Parker (another live illustrator) along to visit the exhibition, and we also booked tickets to a talk with Sarah Campbell who was in conversation with Teresa Collenette the exhibition curator.
It was fascinating to hear about Sarah’s career as a print designer, and how she made her own rules with her approach to painting and design. She has never worked digitally, she always paints all of her designs by hand, including the repeat patterns.
As someone who works as a live event illustrator, I found her commitment to traditional hand-painted processes particularly inspiring. She has such a positive attitude to life as well and I’ve been enjoying reels like this one on Instagram which give an insight into what inspires her.
Zoe and I also did live sketching during the talk of Susan and Teresa which I really enjoyed.
Why the Paint! Pattern! Print! Exhibition is Worth Visiting
The exhibition itself was fantastic. It began with a mock up of Sarah’s studio with her paints, brushes and fabric swatches. For anyone interested in artist studios, creative inspiration or behind-the-scenes illustration processes, this was a real highlight. It also shared the history of her childhood and how she and her sister began working together with clients such as Liberty’s, Heals and Jaeger.
They created pattern designs that were used across fashion and homewares, and the whole gallery space is a riot of colour. Sarah had thousands of sketches and paintings in her studio and many of them are on display. It also takes you through to Sarah’s recent work where she has been painting directly onto fabric to make her own painted clothes, which is the technique I learnt during Sarah’s course. If you’d like to learn more about this she has published this wonderful book : https://www.sarahcampbelldesigns.com/shop/p/hand-painted-textiles-1
Creative inspiration for my Live Illustration work
As someone who spends much of my time creating live illustrations at weddings, corporate events and brand activations, I always enjoy visiting exhibitions like this. They remind me how powerful hand-drawn illustration, colour and storytelling can be, whether you're designing textiles or capturing people and moments through live event illustration.
The exhibition is on until the 1st September and they are currently offering a summer discount on tickets too: https://fashiontextilemuseum.org/exhibitionsdisplays/paint-pattern-print/
If you're looking for creative inspiration, love surface pattern design, enjoy textile exhibitions in London, or simply appreciate beautiful hand-painted illustrations, I'd highly recommend making a visit before it closes!
Hi, my name is Helen Ridley and I’m a Live Illustrator and art educator based in Reading, UK. If you’re looking for custom illustrations for your event including live illustration at your exclusive shop opening, unique product launch or luxurious wedding, please get in touch and I’d love to discuss how we can work together.
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