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At Mr X Stitch we love to review textile art and embroidery books for you. There are so many great books to discover, packed with needlework inspiration and textile techniques, so we dive into each book to find out what’s good, what’s bad and let you know why you should pick it up. Check out our BookShop affiliate link at the end of this post – buy from BookShop and support independent bookshops! Lets discover the newly published book by Batsford Pavillion Textures From Nature In Textile Art written by Marian Jazmik Introduction Nature is a focus of interest for Marian Jazmik and used massively through her work in textile art. This book Textures From Nature in Textile Art is her first published book. It comprises of content alluding to nature and how it can be used to create textile art pieces. She has her own website which you can view. On this website, she personally tells us: 'Textiles are tactile, I love to create the heavy textural effects that are seen in my work and delight in the multi layers from the finest detail to the overall impression when viewed from a distance.' Thus this books leaning towards a mixed media approach. About The Author Marian has developed a range of original textile techniques using various heat treatments including the hot air gun, soldering iron and the naked flame, in order to develop her highly textured art. She often includes household and DIY products in her work that would normally be sent to landfill and is keen to promote the message of ‘re-use’ and ‘repurpose’. Her work envelops mixed media and is not simply cloth based. Walking both at home and abroad in nature has provided Marian with inspirational material. She enjoys capturing images, initially on her smart phone, which she then manipulates to create mini textural images which she translates into her original textile art outcomes. Her work has been featured in magazines both here and abroad and has been exhibited in London, as a member of the international textile group, Prism. Her first solo show, ‘Beyond the surface’ was at the prestigious Knitting and stitching shows in London and Harrogate. (2019), pre-covid times! Who Is This Book Aimed At? Those who are interest in the natural world and how this could be used within an art textiles practice. This book is not a step by step project guide, rather it is heavily biased towards imagery of art pieces and its relation to the nature which in within its context. Those who are interested in working with mixed-media will find this educational as well as those with an interest in 3D textile art and sculptural forms, rather than flat embroidery. Content We will begin our review with the contents page.... Contents The artist has chosen certain pieces from nature to focus on, quite focused really as you can see, for example fungi and seed heads. They are deeply explored, rather than an overall natural forms bible approach. Seed heads is just one example, Cacti another..... Cacti Note how the artist has worked along with the publisher to produce these beautiful large images which really show off the natural form itself, not just the textile art from it. Cellophane We are given certain advice on materials, not in a step-by-step instruction way, rather the author allows for our own personal taste to influence what we do with what we see within the book. What would you do with cellophane? It is not something many will have used in a textile art context which makes it a good point of inspiration. Photography The image used earlier of the Cacti is one good example of the quality of imagery we will find within this publication. We will also find other exciting examples, such as 3D mixed media artworks.... textural bowl The lessening of the background adds focus on the bowl itself. Note too that a lot of the imagery is large within this book, yet not pixelated. The photographer has edited the images so that white backgrounds are prevalent in many of the shots. Thus the artwork stands out without distraction. What Makes The Book Special? We loved the small boxed areas throughout, such as this one: boxed to give us food for thought What is your 'what if?'.....maybe this book will inspire you do reflect on natural forms around you - what can you find locally? Do you take nature walks? Then why not have a look on your next visit out and about. Anything Wrong With The Book? No, it has been beautifully presented to fill a niche yet not too advantageous area of textile art. Conclusion To recap, here is a little reminder of all we will discover within this publication....at least this is what we discovered! How to capture our nature findings via photography and manipulate the images so that the textures and tiny details come to the fore. 2. How to translate our findings into our artwork, in a variety of mediums and styles, both flat and sculptural. 3. Use a wide range of media, both natural and re-cycled included.Hand and machine embroidery. 4. Play with paint, dye and print methods. 5. Use both hand and machine embroidery. 6. Explore the use of certain tools such as a soldering iron and heat gun. With all that education on offer within one book - surely you cannot not purchase a copy?! Discover the newly published book by Batsford Pavillion Textures From Nature In Textile Art written by Marian Jazmik right now! Oh, and do not forget to follow this artist on Instagram too.

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