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| Printemps Boots, 2009 |
Today we have our first artist feature in the lead up too our exhibition with Melbourne based footwear and accessories designer Emma Greenwood. As well as a hard working mum to two children Emma runs a footwear and accessories label called 'Emerge' found at Craft Victoria, has been featured in publications such as ‘I Make Stuff’, ‘Meet me at Mike’s’ and ‘Handmade In Melbourne Volume 2 and participated in the 2011 Craft Cubed Festival with Maryann Tali Pau on their exhibition and collaboration 'Regal Savage'.
All images provided in this interview are provided by and copyright of Emma Greenwood.
Tell us a little about yourself and your
arts/design background
I
grew up in a home without a TV, and was always busy making and doing things
with my sister. My Mum had a lot of craft books, and skills which she taught
me, and from there I used to play around with sewing, knitting and embroidery.
I was a very academic lass until year 12, when the pressure got too much and I
discovered the art department. After that I did a four-year Visual Arts degree,
majoring in printmaking, but then in my final year I discovered sculpture and
became hooked on three dimensions.
Once
I’d finished my degree I worked as a bike messenger for three years. When I
felt the urge to study again, a friend and I wanted to start a street wear
label, so we signed up for Apparel at TAFE. I
noticed that there was also a handmade footwear course, so I enrolled in both
fields, thinking that the apparel would be full time and the footwear part
time. The enrolment was bungled; I ended up doing full time footwear and
completely fell in love with the sculptural process.
It
immediately felt like an extension of my fine art training, an opportunity to
refine and apply lateral thinking, and most of all an excuse to use hand and
power tools, transforming raw materials into practical, sculptural pieces of
art.
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| Machine stitched graffiti sneeks, 2002 |
The
first 7 years of my career resembled an informal apprenticeship, as I worked in
established studios making shoes by hand in Adelaide, Sydney and finally
Melbourne. During this time I was able to hone my skills, experiment with many
different materials and styles, and learn about small business.
Since embarking on my own, I have introduced an accessories range, and concentrated on my shoemaking in a very specialised sense, making exhibition and experimental pieces, along-side more commercial bespoke work for clients, friends and family.
Since embarking on my own, I have introduced an accessories range, and concentrated on my shoemaking in a very specialised sense, making exhibition and experimental pieces, along-side more commercial bespoke work for clients, friends and family.
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| Embroidered cuffs, 2005 |
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| Embroidered cuffs, 2005 |
What led you to use embroidery in your work?
The
decorative qualities of embroidery are too delicious to resist!
I
recall finding a book on Florentine/Bargello embroidery at an opshop in my late
teens, I fell in love with the optical effects, the surface design, the vast
canvases of colour and pattern. I
spent ages making a cushion cover, my friends all thought I was a mad Nanna,
but I made a mental note to continue using embroidery in some way. I seem
to prefer grid embroidery, cross stitch etc, it must be my love of symmetry and
millimeters!
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| 'Chinoiserie' with machine knit sock detail, 2006 |
Now
that I've studied footwear and leatherwork, I enjoy combining these skills with
embroidery in a contemporary way. I've made shoes and accessories with
embroidered panels, as a way of featuring embroidery in a n economical way.
Obviously covering huge areas with stitches is very time consuming, and
therefore can (and should!) be very expensive.
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| 'Tour de France' sneeks, 2005 |
I
start with an image in my head that I draw in a wafty, sketchy way. I'll go
away and research shapes, styles, colours, details, and come back to the
drawing, refining and refining until it crystallises into the final image. From
there I find a last (the form upon which a shoe is built) and modify it to the
desired shape, then cover it in masking tape and draw the upper design directly
onto the form. I peel the tape off in two halves, lay it onto card and spend a
while making a pattern, obsessing over millimeters and gnashing my teeth a bit!
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| 'Tour de France' sneeks detail, 2005 |
The
pattern is cut in leather, stitched together and then wrapped over the last and
left to rest for a few days. After that the sole and heel go on, and then there
is a bit of cleaning up and finishing before the shoes are complete. There can
be many processes, depending on the style or level of detail, shoemaking is
like tailoring for the feet. Everything is done by hand, using traditional
tools and techniques, the only machines I use are a sewing machine and a
sanding machine.
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| Embroidered panel for 'Tour de France' sneeks, 2005 |
If
the work includes an embroidered detail, I use the relevant pattern piece and
cut it in canvas, and spend many nights stitching in front of the TV before
taking all the pieces to the sewing machine (how
ironic!) given
that in my intro I talked about not having a TV as a kid..
Well
I’ve never been a minimalist, and I do tend to research my designs a lot in
terms of key features. I’ve been drawn to costume books from history and film;
I really enjoy all the details, techniques and character design.
The
other inspirations I draw from are diverse, including royal and military
regalia, decorative patterns from many cultures, art and history, and both pop
and hip hop culture.
