Katie Wells is a British abstract artist who creates mixed media works from her home studio in south London. Katie has three main bodies of work; her oil pastels, embroideries and more recently, her embroidered paintings. Although each collection is different in its medium and style, there are motifs present in all the works which tie them together. Recurring shapes and juxtaposed colours appear within all the works, displaying the artist’s incessant need to explore the language of pattern and composition.
What are your favourite stitches and why?
I actually only use a few stitches in my work – mainly the satin stitch, long and short and French knots. My work is abstract so I only use what I think of as ‘abstract stitches’. The lazy daisy stitch for example is not abstract as it looks like a daisy; the satin stitch on the other hand is just a bunch of non-representational lines, so it is better suited to my work.
What stitches would you like to learn?
I should definitely put more time into learning new stitches. I’d like to learn stumpwork and other 3D techniques but I’m not sure it would go with my style. I would have to develop a new way of working. It’s something to think about in the future.
What other textiles would you like to explore?
A textile craft I’d love to learn is rug hooking, there’s a real craze for it at the moment. I also like macramé – there is so much you can do with it like make macramé plant hangers and even swings. And knitting, I’m currently re-learning how to knit after a very long break. I basically want to learn everything; it’s just finding the time. I have a lot of guilt about being a huge consumer so I’d love to learn to make more things myself. I have so much ‘stuff. So much plastic, so much badly made, irresponsibly sourced ‘stuff’ that is not only negatively impacting the environment but is keeping people in unsafe, underpaid work. Learning crafts and buying crafts is one way to combat that.
In my artwork, I’d like to get more involved with 3D textiles. I was working on some large embroideries on organza to be made into sculptures but that project has slowed to a standstill. Organza is very frustrating to work with and despite popular belief, I don’t have much patience so I’m having a break for a while.
What kinds of images or drawings do you like stitching and why?
It’s all about abstraction, and a little bit of nature. I’m fascinated by colours and shapes. I often try to analyse why I like a particular shape but I don’t really know. There is something very pure about abstraction, which is hard to say without sounding pretentious. All I know is that there is no better satisfaction than finding the perfect combination of colours and shapes. Life situations can change but I know I will always have that certainty to come back to.
Where do you buy your materials, thread and equipment from?
There is a nice little art shop near me run by a Brazilian couple, which is where I buy most of my materials. Weirdly enough I used to work in the shop that occupied that building about 13 years ago. It was originally an art shop which closed down after the financial crash in 2008 when a lot of small businesses were suffering. It reopened as a sandwich shop and after that various other shops that I don’t remember, then this lovely Brazilian couple came along and re-opened it as an art shop without ever knowing it was an art shop all those years before. It’s quite strange seeing it filled with all the lovely brushes and paints that I used to stock the shelves with. Alongside the art stuff, they also sell Brazilian confectionary, which is an odd mix but nice.
I remember when I was working there (in the original art shop) we once spilt an entire bottle of turpentine on the floor and never managed to get it out. The smell of turps remained for years, it was lovely! It’s still one of my favourite smells.
How do feel about sharing your work on Instagram?
I think Instagram is a really great place for artists to network and share their art. I have discovered a lot of new artists, galleries and influencers through it and have had the chance to chat with a lot of interesting people so I’m a big fan of the platform. I also get a lot of feedback for my work which has given me confidence. I even made my first sale on Instagram! There are of course bad points too; it’s become oversaturated recently and there’s a lot of competition. Plus, the bloody algorithm keeps changing so it’s hard to know how to constantly reach and engage your audience.
What other ways do you promote your work?
I have to admit I’ve been a bit lax recently with promoting my artwork. I’ve just launched the rebrand of my blog, The Fiber Studio, so all my time and energy has gone into that.
Now that The Fiber Studio is up and running exactly the way I want it I can really focus my energy on my artwork and its promotion. I’m having an evening showing of a new series of work in September, so in the run-up, I’ll be redesigning my website and employing a whole new social media strategy.
Do you ever get worried about people copying your designs?
Yes! It has happened to me before and It’s something that I think about a lot. The downside to having your work all over the Internet is that people can copy it. I was actually thinking about writing a blog post for The Fiber Studio on the topic of plagiarism because a lot of artists don’t really know how to confront the situation. And from the other perspective too; sometimes the people doing the copying don’t realise what they’re doing wrong – we need to educate these people because it can be crushing to find someone getting recognition for your work and ideas.
Who are three of your favourite embroidery artists to follow?
This is such a hard one. If you head over to The Fiber Studio Instagram page; you’ll see tons of artists who I absolutely love. I guess if I had to narrow it down to three I would say: Ellie Mac – her embroidered patches are pretty much the best out there. Yuri Miyazaki is another fantastic artist; she creates gorgeous little sketchy embroideries on organza. And Emily Barletta, who I interviewed on The Fiber Studio. She’s not only a very a talented artist but also a really, really lovely person. After her interview, she sent me a pin of one of her works and I wear it with such pride.
Lastly, what do you love about embroidery?
I have a real love hate relationship with embroidery. It takes so bloody long! As I mentioned before I am not actually a very patient person and I get frustrated at how long it takes to complete one tiny embroidery. But I love the challenge. The fact that it takes so long makes me reflect on the passing of time, which can lead to all kinds of thoughts. I can get sucked into a little bubble of thoughts for hours when stitching which is fun. The whole process is crazy frustrating but weirdly therapeutic.
I also love the association with ‘women’s work’ it makes the medium intrinsically feminist. The medium on its own creates challenges and asks questions before the artist even creates the work. It’s so loaded. The crossover between ‘art’ and ‘craft’ is also something that interests me. The art world is becoming so much more accepting of craft as art – just look at Grayson Perry. But there is still a lot more work to do, boundaries to be pushed and I enjoy being part of that.
Follow Katie on Instagram and check out her blog The Fiber Studio here.