Textiles Artist

Rebecca Hampson

My work explores the relationship between what is seen and what lies beneath. Through hand stitch, sublimation printing and cold wax, I work with layered materials to reveal, obscure and reconnect the marks created on both sides of the fabric.

Rebecca Hampson Textiles

Practice

Looking closer: making space for the unexpected

My practice begins with hand stitch and a curiosity about what happens beyond the visible surface of fabric. In the past, I have often started with a particular theme or idea as a way into making. More recently, however, I have begun to work in a different way. Using the circle as an area in which to work, I allow the work to develop through the process of making, often without a preconceived outcome.

I have become increasingly drawn to the relationship between the front and reverse of my stitched work. Paying attention to the unexpected marks that emerge between and behind my intended stitches has begun to influence the direction of my work. These less controlled traces, found on the reverse, have become an increasingly important part of my visual language. I bring them together with the more structured patterns created on the surface of the fabric. Through photography, sublimation printing, screen printing, layered textiles and a range of diverse media, I explore ways of bringing these normally unseen details into view, allowing marks, images and materials to overlap and interact.
I have always been fascinated by the intricate textures, patterns and structures found in nature, particularly those that are easily overlooked. More recently, I have enjoyed taking my own close-up photographs, exploring details that might otherwise go unnoticed. This has become another source of inspiration, revealing unexpected shapes, patterns and relationships that often seem to echo those found within my stitched work.
Through these different ways of working, I am interested in the relationships that develop between what has been deliberately made and what has emerged unexpectedly. Looking closely, whether at the reverse of a stitched surface or at the details found in nature, encourages me to notice things I might otherwise overlook and opens up new possibilities for further exploration.
With a background in Textile Design, art education and Therapeutic Arts, my practice is grounded in close observation, material exploration and a curiosity about what can be discovered through the process of making.

Sketchbook work

Exploring Stitch, Light and Pattern

These sketchbook pages show a series of small fabric samples, approximately 9 × 9 cm, created using black thread on white cotton. Working within a circular area, I experimented with simple stitches, mainly running stitch and backstitch, allowing the marks and patterns to develop as I worked. I deliberately kept the materials and techniques simple, avoiding layering and textured surfaces so that I could focus more closely on pattern.

I was particularly interested in what might happen when the samples were placed on a light box, revealing the stitches and threads normally hidden on the reverse of the fabric. I was pleasantly surprised by the patterns that emerged as the front and back stitches became visible together, creating unexpected lines, shapes and connections.

To explore these further, I photocopied some of the images onto tracing paper, moving, overlapping and repositioning them to discover new arrangements and patterns. These experiments have encouraged me to look more closely at the relationship between deliberate and unexpected marks. I am interested in how these discoveries might influence the direction of my work. For now, they provide both a useful visual reference and a starting point for further exploration.

Looking Closer: Patterns and Textures in Nature

These photographs are part of my recent exploration of looking more closely at natural forms, including sunflowers, conkers, leaves and the delicate, papery seed pods of the Honesty plant. I am particularly interested in the translucent quality of the Honesty pods and the way light reveals their fine structures. In some of the photographs, I have removed the colour to concentrate more closely on the lines, textures and patterns. These images provide a source of inspiration for my textile work, and I am curious to see how some of these observations might influence my own stitched marks and patterns.