Long time follower but first time seller Kim Tillyer, will be showcasing her exquisite textile designs at our Christmas market in two weeks! Witchmountain explores various stages of textile design from visual studies through to final selling products such as womens and childrens clothing and accessories to card, gift and stationary. We catch up with Kim to find out more about Witchmountain.
Witchmountain is a mythical land in the middle of the North York Moors. Here, Kim lives and works in a cluttered kitchen with an endless supply of coffee,a temperamental wood burning stove, two teenage children and a ragged assortment of animals.
After graduating from Cleveland College of Art and Design in 2008,with a first in Textiles and Surface Design, Kim worked as a freelance designer selling printed and embroidered designs for childrenswear in both America and Japan. "Producing up to 6 hand embroidered garment shapes a week was a steep learning curve after college and I found it hard to follow the very commercial trends that my agent demanded.No matter how hard I tried my work was always a little quirky and off center!"
After some success selling framed work including the "Snow Bear" (which is now available as a greetings card from her Etsy shop) friends and relations gave this good advice "Do what you love because that really shows in the end result" .Drawings and textile pieces have been exhibited at various galleries in the North East and are currently at the Zillah Bell Gallery in Thirsk . Favorite imagery includes birds, foliage and her trademark bears which symbolize inner strength, safe travel and introspection. "I have a huge emotional and sentimental attachment to some of the work I produced in college and in the past year, which wasn't an easy one. I think the work tells a story and even if no one else knows that story it gives the pieces a bit of soul...if that doesn't sound too cheesy"
Recently, in preparation for the Designer's Marketplace and other events , Kim has been making a range of accessories, printed and embroidered clothing and some very very cute baby slippers. Each piece is printed and embroidered by hand and is therefore unique,individual and a total antidote to the highstreet and the tyranny of trends.
Despite a terrible snails pace broadband connection, Kim has been writing her blog ,Witchmountain, for almost three years now and finds it has helped her make and maintain connections with other creative people whilst living what can often seem a very remote and isolated existence. "I'm really looking forward to my first time as a seller at a Designer's Marketplace event. It'll also be a great chance to catch up with some old friends I haven't seen since college and some new ones I have only met online."
Visit:
http://witchmountain.wordpress.com/
http://kimtillyer.etsy.com/
1 comment:
I love Kims work! I wish I could attend this market it looks like it is going to be wonderful. I have told friends that live nearby to go check it out.
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