Toria Collins United Kingdom
‘Taking inspiration from the ancient woodlands and limestone crags around her home, Toria's work aims to capture the natural, gentle rhythms and harmonies found in the Welsh landscape.’
Through the challenges of motherhood and financial security, my own creativity took a back seat. I suffered creative block for many years, struggling to produce work which felt authentically me. Covid 19 arrived and the quieter pace of life allowed me time to focus and coax my creative juices into being. Simplifying materials and palette; working in 2D and ignoring perceptions of use or function; practising mark making with tools made from found or handmade objects and a monochrome palette, I was able to create an initial body of work that resonated with my observations of and feelings about the landscape of North Wales. The process of simplification removed the layers of creative decisions that had hindered my productivity in the past.
I have found techniques and processes that together to create work that I feel is honest and truthful to me. From ancient Korean ‘pojagi / bojagi’ techniques of joining cloth; to utilising modern CAD / CAM equipment to make stencils; from hand painting oak gaul ink with brushes made from birch twigs to more modern airbrushing with dyes and acrylics, I use my professional skills and knowledge to bring fabric to life. My work has been further informed by the Welsh language. My children are bi-lingual and in my attempts to learn the language of their birth nation, I have found beauty and meaning in the particular yet vibrant, meaning-laden words used to describe the features of the landscape. The works therefore feel more embedded in their sense of place.
