tell us about your background
Having studied in the north of Italy in the mid to late eighties I acquired a Fashion Design diploma, I then travelled back to Australia and furthered my passion with a Diploma in Textile design. My love is to create fabrics either by designing on an existing fabric or making wool/silk fabrics from raw fibres and then dyeing them.
tell us about what you create
I create wearable art pieces by using the felting technique. I incorporate silk, wool and bamboo fibres so as to create an unusual design, then make garments with the result. I also paint on silk fabric and then use this fabric to make softer and lighter pieces for the warmer months. The key is to create something unique and individual for the wearer.
what made you start making your pieces?
As a child I grew up with my mother who was and still is an incredible seamstress…..you could say that’s fashion is in my blood! Over the years I have always dabbled in it and created on various levels. My interest has always been on the fabric and what it can achieve for the wearer. I found that as long as you have a simple style, the fabric could make an enormous difference, so this I chose to explore…and I LOVE IT!
What is your inspiration/influences?
My favourite artist is Kandinsky, I love his abstract works and the play on colour. also draw my inspiration on the affects of watercolour, as this I think is a medium where again colour is blended together so as to create a mood and is so effective if done well. The Impressionists are also a favourite type of art that inspires me greatly. I also draw a lot of inspiration from nature, plants, small bugs, microscopic images, they play a large part in my design as again the blends of colour merge and create an impact.
What materials do you use?
I only like to use natural fibre, such as silk, wool, bamboo, linen, cotton. These for me allow the body to breath in both simmer and winter and they dye beautifully and feel fantastic on the skin. I try as much as possible to use natural thread and buttons such as timber buttons when I can find them.
tell us about your creative process?
When I start to put a set of clothing pieces together, I firstly pick a topic…it may be a type of fabric, a couple of combination of fabrics or colours, I might see a close-up of a bug or flower etc. From this I draw and draw and draw……it may be a design on a fabric or felted piece. I keep the process to a minimum, otherwise I would never be happy with the result. Once I come up with something that I like then I start to work out what I will make, whether its new fabric that I will paint on or felted works that I will felt. Off I go! and I go through the process of applying the techniques of felting and dyeing and painting to my raw materials and voila….my pieces are created!
why did you choose in.cube8r?
I thought that Incube8r is a unique avenue to have my wearable art pieces because it has many different artists who are doing the same sort of thing as me…..albeit different mediums and products, but all are artists and produce beautiful pieces. I think the concept is great and the space is very inviting.
anything else you would like to add?
I hope you enjoy my work, my main goal is to bring “aesthetics to others” and I hope to do that with my pieces…ENJOY!
where else can we find you?
I have a website:
www.biondsilk.com
biondsilk.etsy.com