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May 2006 - Johanna Basford - Handcrafting a reputation |
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HOMES AND INTERIORS SCOTLAND TEXT BY CATHERINE COYLE Her ornate creations ooze the kind of confidence normally associated with a seasoned designer - indeed, her deftly executed patterns belie a career in its relative infancy - but following her Degree Show at Duncan of Jordanstone in Dundee in the Summer of 2005, Johanna Basford's handcrafted wallpaper and fabric collection took London by storm. An impressive feat for the 22-year-old from rural Aberdeenshire, but without her Scottish roots, Johanna might never have proved such a hit. "I'm inspired by nature, by animals and by my surroundings," Johanna explains, gazing from her studio that sits in an idylic valley in the northeastern town of Ellon. Her parents, both marine biologists, run a fish farm where Johanna grew up and now works. "I use plantlife, insects and animals in my designs," she says. "I like to draw by a hand a motif that, from far away, appears to be something eles - a bit like an optical illusion. Her intricate monochrome designs, from Insectiana 2 and Crazy Botanic to Hihgland Fling (new for 2006), cleverly merge nuances of Scottish landscape with an edgy injection of Victoriana. Fashion front-runner DKNY installed Johanna's Crazy Botanic silkscreen printed wallpaper at its store on London's Bond Street as part of their 2005 showcase of New Designers, and after a spell drawing on the experience of Glasgow design favourites Timorous Beasties, Johanna might easily have opted to establish her career south of the Border. "I like Scotland though", she says, "It's an open-minded enviroment, approachable and friendly. Besides, much of the work being produced in London is computer generated or manipulated, whereas I draw all my designs and then use a traditional silk screen technique to handprint each roll of paper or fabric. I love the tactile nature of printed textiles and working in this way I have the ability to experiment." www.johanna-basford.co.uk
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