Suzy Ager Textile Design

How would you describe your business/creative practice? 

I am a textile artist and printmaker based in Nottingham who endeavours to capture the characters of British wildlife using layers of fabric, thread and print.  Beginning with hand-drawn imagery, I like to use collagraph and drypoint to explore line quality and textures in printmaking. 

 

 

Can you tell us the story behind why you started your business/practice and your journey so far. 

I left my office job in 2018 to study Textile Design at Nottingham Trent University.  The BA was followed by an MA in Textile Innovation where I was able to further explore printmaking on textiles.  Following my MA I started my own creative practice although focussed on textile art I was able to get more involved in printmaking thanks to my part-time work as Print Technician at NTU.  I have exhibited at a number of fairs and shows including Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair in Manchester and Lustre in Nottingham.  

Most recently I have been developing my work with collagraph, completing a 2-day course with Jenny McCabe.  I hope to continue exploring and experimenting with printmaking in particular my interest in collagraph to make this a greater part of my practice. 

I sell my work both on-line and via fairs/shows, I also have work in two galleries, Gallery 6 in Newark on Trent and Number 4 Gallery in St Abbs.  I am hoping to expand my gallery representation and find more galleries to stock my work. 

 

 

What do you hope that being part of the Banks Mill community will do for your creative business/practice? Is there one thing in particular that you’re looking forward to? 

I hope this opportunity will help me develop my printmaking network and that I can expand my printmaking knowledge and practice.  I am especially looking forward to being part of the Open Studios. 

 

Do you have any other work experience/support/or training that’s relevant to what you’re doing now? 

On leaving school I studied art and design  but then drifted off to do other things.  However before doing my degree I have always dipped into various creative activities including screen and lino printing evening classes and embroidery. 

Most recently I completed a 2 day workshop with artist Tom Shepherd on Painting Expressive Birds with watercolour, I hope that I can transfer some of what I learnt to both my textile and print practices, to help me better convey character and movement in the expression of their stories. 

 

 

What are you working on at the moment? 

As a professional member of Design Nation I am taking part in a “Crafted Futures” event in London during September.  So at the moment my main focus is creating new work for that.  Up until now my work has been focussed on British birds, but for this event I intend to take a wider look at British nature, looking at some of the other wildlife that heralds the arrival of autumn. 

Also during the collagraph course with Jenny McCabe I created a number of print plates, I hope to find time to make a few more prints.  The course also sparked some ideas for new plates that I would like to do. 

 

Tell us about your work/techniques/how long a piece takes to complete etc 

I like to work with collagraph as I enjoy the experimental approach you can take with it.  I also love a texture or two so I find it to be the technique which appeals most.  It also allows me to incorporate fabric which I see as a way to connect my textile and printmaking practices. 

My work always starts with drawing, I sketch mostly from photographs and sometimes from real life and then choose some imagery I think will work well as a print.  It can take a while to get from sketch to finished print as I’m often doing other things in between, it is rare I get to journey from idea to completion in a straight, uninterrupted line. 

 

 

What are your plans for your business/practice for the next 12 months? 

I will be doing a couple of local art trails later this year and have some stitched work in an exhibition at the Rheged Gallery, “The Brilliance of Birds” which opens in July. 

I want to create new work, both stitched and printed with a view to approaching more galleries and increasing my selling opportunities. 

I would also like to work on my drawing and painting skills, in particular try and incorporate more visual research in the field enhancing my skills for sketching from life. 

Finally, I am also thinking about designing some workshops that I can offer within the next 12-18 months.  Just early stages ideas at the moment. 

 

 

 

www.Suzyagertextiles.co.uk 

Instagram @suzyagertextiles