Heather Arbon

Heather Arbon I am a designer maker working in textiles and based in Chesterfield. I make 2D artwork, textile gifts and 3D ‘vessels’. My embroidered panels are made by layering transparent fabrics. The fabrics are painted and petals, dried stems, fabric scraps and clippings, etc. are trapped between the layers. The piece is then embellished with machine and hand stitching. My inspiration comes from the natural world and I often incorporate dried petals or leaves into my designs. The finished work is then presented either in a wooden wall frame or a transparent acrylic mount, free standing in a wooden block. These free standing pieces are best displayed where light can shine through them, revealing the transparency of the fabrics. Larger pieces are stretched over a canvass support and are lightweight and easy to hang. I have always been fascinated by the gossamer quality of insect wings and interpret these in my delicate machine embroidered dragonfly and butterfly brooches. These are worked freehand onto soluble fabric. Once the stitching is complete the fabric is dissolved away in water leaving a fine tracery of threads. The bodies are then created to match the wings, eyes stitched on and the finished insect assembled. I make hearts, flowers and sea horses in the same way. I am particularly interested in the idea of enclosing a 3D space. My latest experiments are in silk paper fabrics manipulated or molded to create large silk ‘vessels’. These have a sculptural quality and can also be filled with fairy lights. My inspiration for these shapes comes from natural forms such as seed pods and shells. I design and make all my work individually, so that each item is unique. I am always looking for additional, suitable gallery outlets.