Kovács Gabriella • textile artist

About

Rólam…

A budapesti Képző- és Iparművészeti Szakközépiskolában, üvegtervező szakon érettségiztem, majd 1996-ban a Magyar Képzőművészeti Főiskola Díszlet-, Jelmez- és Látványtervező szakán diplomáztam.

A textilek világában való elmerülést a kárpitszövéssel kezdtem Rónai Éva tanítványaként, majd néhány év után rám talált a nemezelés technikája. Ez a médium nagy variálhatósága és hihetetlen alakíthatósága, flexibilitása révén kimeríthetetlen forrásnak bizonyul számomra és több mint húsz éve fogva tart. A szövés szerkezeti törvényszerűségei, rendszere, a vetülékszálak variálhatósága számomra a hagyományokkal, szabályokkal egységben tartó erő és a sokszínűség egyben. Egy rendszeren belül szabadon létezni.

A nemezelésben az elemi szálak összegubancolódásából jön létre egy egységes új matéria. Lényege az összekapaszkodás. Az elemi szálak tulajdonságainak, viselkedésének ismeretében tudjuk keverni a színeket, nyújthatóvá tenni a formákat, alakítani a rétegeket. Síkban, három dimenzióban, tömören, lyukas formákkal egyaránt dolgozhatunk.

Saját munkáimban gyakran keverem a szövés technikáját a nemezeléssel. Nemezelt felületeimbe fonalakat gyúrok, ezzel „festek” árnyalatokat, bonyolítom érzékenyítem a textúrát.

Térbeli tárgyaim készítésekor szeretem elvinni a szemlélőt valamilyen mesélő, a jelenből kimozdító világba.

Gyakran dolgozom megrendelésre, így az engem megtaláló kérések és az azokra adott válaszaim inspirálnak, formálják az utamat. Életutam változásai, megkerülhetetlenül jelen vannak készülő alkotásaimban mind a téma-forma-technika választását tekintve.

About me

Recently, I was approached by the Australian Felt Magazine to introduce my world – and I believe it had become the most complex and best description I’ve ever made about me and my works – so I use those lines here, too.

I live in a small town on the outskirts of Budapest, Hungary, with my family. From an early age I was engaged with art. At a specialist arts high school, I studied glass art and learnt both cold and hot glass processing. I graduated from the University of Fine Arts as a set and costume designer, and subsequently learned French tapestry weaving and mastered carpet design.

I encountered felting some twenty-five years ago and realised that my previous experiences were integral to my approach to felting. My design rationale, use shapes and colours, my love of geometry, architecture, and literature – all these elements found their place, like a ‘whispering in the background’, a wonderful foundation which opened a new door to my felt art. I am so grateful for that!

 

Read more…

About me

I live in a small town on the outskirts of Budapest, Hungary, with my family. From an early age I was engaged with art. At a specialist arts high school, I studied glass art and learnt both cold and hot glass processing. I graduated from the University of Fine Arts as a set and costume designer, and subsequently learned French tapestry weaving and mastered carpet design.

I encountered felting some twenty-eight years ago and realised that my previous experiences were integral to my approach to felting. My design rationale, use shapes and colours, my love of geometry, architecture, and literature – all these elements found their place, like a “whispering in the background”, a wonderful foundation which opened a new door to my felt art. I am so grateful for that!

About 15 years ago, I started incorporating yarns that I had accumulated from my time as a weaver into the surface of my felted works. For me, the techniques of weaving and felting are analogue to the manner of our soul, and felting is akin to the cycle of life. Our heritage, past experiences and spirit are interwoven and materialise in the present moment. The use of yarns enriches the felted surface, and, in a painterly manner, I can alter the base colour of the felt by applying the coloured yarns. It is like adding spice. The effect of merging weaving and felting can be seen in jewellery, wall hangings, pictorial works, and other objects.

I am inspired by my own life experiences and the work of writers, musicians and artists working in other genres – the creative processes, life paths, and struggles. Aspects that are complicated, thought-provoking, or distorted can be a starting point for investigation. In essence, I try to create narrative objects with unique forms and moods, that express a personal attachment. When designing my tea cosies, towers, tower-like boxes, key holders, and woven jewellery, my goal is to shape objects with a soul. I like working with symbols such as the tree of life, pomegranate, and fish.

I am also intrigued by inverse forms as life analogies, revealing ways in which the image is equally complete from the opposite side, to examine and see its special virtues, qualities, and beauty. It is a way viewing something from a different angle, to consider the nuances and differences of diverse viewpoints.

For the past fifteen years I have taught workshops, sharing the techniques which characterize my work. I developed and experimented with them over a long period of time. Central to my teaching is the way in which I view creativity. A wonderfully rich and self-stimulating process, that leads never to a failed object but rather the material revealing itself, to aid future solutions. I am excited by these processes, living, thinking, touching, bodily fatigue while making. The feeling of joy for beauty.

In my workshops I aim to teach my technical methods in this spirit, to encourage participants to realise their ideas. Therefore, I place much emphasis on design, and rarely provide a ready-made template. Rather, I share the aspects I have applied to that topic. This freedom can make teaching more challenging, but experience shows that the participants appreciate it.

While face-to-face workshops are uplifting, in recent years I have successfully ventured into online teaching with beneficial results for all involved.

I usually work for custom orders and exhibitions. A description of the custom order process can be found in a separate menu item.

My currently available artwork can be viewed in the store. If you are interested in buying any of these, you can purchase them directly from my studio by sending an e-mail to me, with the title of the piece.

For shipping and custom packaging of large artworks, please get a quote. In some countries, custom fees may apply. Delivery is free for purchases over 1400 Euro.

Alternatively, you may also visit my Etsy shop.