Brenda Duddington

textile artist and printmaker

I currently work in two mediums - textile art and etching. For several years, I studied architectural stained glass as a hobby, revelling in working in such vibrant colours. Ill-health meant I was no longer able to continue in this medium, and after a period of being unable to pursue creative aspirations, I discovered the joy of felt-making. In some ways, for me it ressembles working with glass, in the sense that I am putting together fragments of colour to create something complete, although of course the textures are so very different.

My signature pieces are felt vessels, 3D non-functional but very tactile objects which are vibrant, soft and decorative. I also enjoy making felt pictures or abstract images which are then mounted on coloured card.

Etching generally is so far removed from the spontaneity and tactile sense I respond so well to in felt-making. Yet I have discovered two processes which give me the spontaneity I seek - using collagraphs, and using viscosity printing techniques. Both these processes allow multi-colours to be created on a single print with one rolling through the press. Both processes have an element of surprise - of not quite knowing how the print will turn out. This surprise element speaks to me far more loudly than the precise and often fiddly technical processes frequently involved in etching.

For more information, go to the website of Brenda Duddington on ?.