‘The Colours of a House - The Plas Bodfa Pigment Collection’ Angela Stringer and Nicky Perrin
Through the marrying of their individual creative practices, textile artist, Angela Stringer and abstract painter, Nicky Perrin have created works which are grounded in place, thanks to their collective use of natural earth pigments and botanical dyes. Having gathered raw materials from in and around Plas Bodfa, they have hand processed each element into workable paint, harnessing these found colours to create site specific abstract work on stitched canvas and silk. ‘The Colours of a House’ is the amalgamation of this unique pigment collection, a snapshot of history captured in colour, pattern and texture.
‘Coalescence’
// to grow together, to form one mass, to unite, to blend, to come together //
marigold dye, botanical matter, slate, soot, soil, spray paint and acrylic on canvas and silk
100x100cm
’Coalescence’ acts as a conversation between Plas Bodfa and the Wirral via the introduction of materials beyond the Plas Bodfa pigment collection. Marigolds grown in Angela’s garden have been used to dye lustrous silk, and seed heads and botanical matter collected from Plas Bodfa have been eco printed to connect the two gardens. Another silk panel is painted with hand processed slate pigment, foraged from overturned earth. These smooth, shimmering sections are juxtaposed with highly textured canvas, roughly made with the sooty remains scraped out of a fireplace and finished with a micro dot of neon pink, a link to Nicky’s creative aesthetic.
This piece speaks of community and interconnection, of transient life cycles and most importantly, the exciting possibility of regeneration.
‘Unloded’
// Lode - a metalliferous vein of ore deposited in a rocky crevice //
slate, rust, plaster, charcoal, copper oxide ink, botanical matter, spray paint and stitched elements on canvas, silk and found fabric
80x80cm
‘Unloded’ combines commonly found materials alluding to time, function and process, whilst referencing a relationship to the wider community of Anglesey and its historical roots within the copper industry.
The Isle of Anglesey is home to Plas Bodfa and also to Parys Mountain, the site of a huge, heavily exploited copper mine. Using rusty items found at the mountain, a rust dye, pigment and ink were made, and these colours sit beautifully alongside the Plas Bodfa pigment collection. A pool of handmade copper oxide ink lies below a piece of found fabric, pulled out of the sulphur rich earth at the mine.
Also included are repetitive stitched elements, to represent the 100 years since Plas Bodfa was built. 100 tiny French knots, glisten in fine copper thread and 100 black crosses in homage to the Elizabeth Bradley Tapestry Kit Company who held residence at Plas Bodfa for a number of years.
These site specific components all work together to anchor Plas Bodfa to its home on the historical Isle of Anglesey.
‘Propinquity’
// nearness in place; proximity, nearness of relation; kinship, nearness in time, affinity to nature //
full Plas Bodfa pigment collection - brick, charcoal, plaster, slate, soil, soot and stone. Plus rust, copper oxide ink, acrylic, spray paint, botanical matter and stitched elements on canvas and silk
40x150cm
‘Propinquity’ commemorates the 100 years of Plas Bodfa, memorialised in 100 repetitive marks in the building’s centenary year. The visual timeline reflects the varying uses of the building itself and the many lives which are connected through living and working there over the years. 100 stitched crosses link to its time as the home of the Elizabeth Bradley Tapestry Kit company with the loose threads weave into the battens of the wall, to reference both the literal and metaphorical tapestry of past and present and physically anchor the work to the house.