Delia Salter’s Report on Jo Mabbutt’s talk on 16th May 2015

There are some wonderful examples of Jo’s work on her website - http://www.jmdecorativeart.co.uk/index.php.  Jo, who is also a member of the Worshipful Company of Painters and Stainers, works primarily with pieces of antique lace.  She alters the surface of these delicate fabrics with painting and gilding to produce unique decorative items.  Some of these are framed, some are made into jewellery and others are used as patterning for interior design.

Jo spoke about the development of her practice, her training and her years in teaching and showed images of her diverse work.  She is now extending her working practice to include surfaces such as glass, leather, plastics and wood veneer.

Jo presented a very comprehensive account of her practice; however I would have liked to have learned more about the very basics of the gilding process.  I found the small fragments of lace coloured with metallic pigments very effective.  The delicate sheen of colour complemented the elegance of the patterned lace in which you can still see every stitch and twist of thread.  I found the negative prints created by the lace pieces on plain and coloured backgrounds particularly interesting.  These retained a sense of the antique cloth in a very real sense due to the prints not always appearing complete or whole.  

In the afternoon Jo led a workshop using metallic foils which we transferred to pieces of cloth using bondaweb and other adhesive films which acted as the glue, producing very effectively decorated samples.

As ever, Thames Valley Contemporary Textiles offered its audience a different perspective of textile practice much appreciated by its members and guests.

Jo Mabbutt – Metallics Workshop Materials List of Suppliers
www.jmdecorativeart.co.uk
Suppliers                  

Metallic Transfer Foil:
Available in packs and also off the roll from Applicraft                                          www.applicraft.co.uk

Real Metal Leaf:
Transfer leaf (on wax paper) available in books of 25 sheets from:

o   A S Handover                                   www.handover.co.uk

o   Wright’s of Lymm                             www.stonehouses.co.uk

o   Gold Leaf Supplies                          www.goldleafsupplies.co.uk

Lutradur:
Available in different weights, packs and rolls from:

o   Spunart                                              www.spunart.co.uk

o   Other craft websites

Misty Fuse:
Available in packs or on a roll from:

o   Rainbow Silks                                  www.rainbowsilks.co.uk

o   Other craft websites

Fuse FX - gossamer fusible web:
Occasionally available in small packs from Art Van Go      www.artvango.co.uk