Artist

Deborah Campbell

Painting, Textile

Born and brought up in Glasgow, Deborah graduated with a BA Hons degree in Printed Textile Design from Glasgow School of Art in 1987.

Following her graduation, she worked for many years as a freelance artist collaborating with architects and interior designers in Glasgow and London on commissions for commercial and private interiors.

Deborah also worked as a part time art & design lecturer for 7 years. This led her to develop workshops on a freelance basis for schools and community groups: aimed at enhancing people’s experience and awareness of the arts.

With the exception of the past year, due to the pandemic, she still run workshops throughout the year working with individuals, textile groups and embroiderers guilds and gets huge satisfaction from sharing ideas and introducing new methods of work.

Whilst Deborah is a well-established painter, she has recently returned to exploring new directions in her Fine Art Textile practice. Deborah exhibits throughout Scotland at various art events, solo and group shows.

Textiles for me have always been an important element of my artistic expression and how I interpret the coastal landscape.

My fascination for the coastal landscape is rooted in my childhood holidays and memories of exploration. I’ve always been intrigued with what will be revealed round the next headland and the idea of continual change and renewal by the incoming tide.

My first introduction to Textiles as an artform came from studying Printed Textiles at Glasgow School of Art where I graduated in 1987 with a BA Hons Degree.
The methods I use in my work stems back to my Art School days reflecting my training in printed textiles. However, in a much less technical way, I like the process now to be much more spontaneous using quite simply printing techniques like mono, lino and Geli printing. I work onto organza and gauze to give me the option to layer fabrics and create depth of colour and pattern.

I make details using felt and ceramic to create contrasts that reflect the textures I find in the landscape. These are then constructed using machine and hand embroidery, not to overpower the piece but to enhance and complement, keeping the essence of the print.

When walking on a beach on the North Coast of Barra a flock of Plovers were scurrying along the sand and when they merged with a cluster of stones and pebbles they almost completely disappeared. I loved the idea of how well camouflaged they were within their environment and took this as my inspiration for my new collection of Constructed Textiles.

Deborah Campbell