Q&A with Dionne Swift

East Prawle Salcombe

What is your background?

I studied Textiles at Goldsmiths College in the late eighties and then progressed to a Masters in Textiles at UCE/Birmingham. Prior to that, I guess, it was my Grandmothers who inspired my love of textiles and creativity.

Explain what you do in 100 words

Inspired by the landscape and environment around me I draw in response to the atmosphere of the place. I draw intuitively with oils and graphite – they are between drawings and paintings. Moving into machine stitch I aim to capture the energy and vitality of the mark making to create vivacious stitched pictures where the colours and textures entwine on the surface of the work – the colours visually mix, I feel it’s a tactile form of Pointillism!

Cliff Edge, Stitched

What five words best describe your work?

Abstract, energetic, textural, observed, intuitive.

What are you working on at the moment?

Currently, I am very busy creating custom lampshades with a minimal landscape painted and stitched on them; then I have some commissioned blinds to paint for a spectacular house in North Wales. After that, I need to turn my attention to a large body of work I’m developing for the Knitting and Stitching shows in 2016. I shall be one of the Featured Artists at Alexander Palace, Dublin and finally Harrogate.

Which three artists would you like to be compared to?

Heck that’s tough. Viewers of my work have mentioned Peter Lanyon, which is a stunning compliment. Picasso and Matisse were so prolific and industrious – they make great role models.

What’s the best piece advice you’ve been given?

My dad always said, “To aim for the stars, if by chance you don’t get there, the trees will catch you! If you only aim for the trees you may well fall on your arse!”