Once she found fabric painting as a means of artistic expression, contemporary textile artist Deborah O’Hare never looked back. Combining this surface design technique with her love of patchwork and quilting opens enough creative doors for Deborah to keep her busy in the studio for years to come. She shares the joy she finds in textile art by teaching her techniques to other fiber artists.
How did you find yourself on an artist’s path? Always there? Lightbulb moment? Dragged kicking and screaming? Evolving?
I have always been creative my whole life, but the light bulb moment for me came when I was working as teacher in South East Asia. A colleague from Australia introduced me to patchwork and quilting and I was hooked. On my return to the UK I went looking for a class to join and ended up studying for a City and Guilds, which is a vocational qualification here in the UK, in Patchwork and Quilting followed by one in Machine Embroidery.
What inspires you to create?
Mainly landscapes and nature, which I like to depict in a stylised form. I also cut up fabric and stitch it back together again just for the joy of it.
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Patchwork can be a part or all of the process. I actually really like using my scraps to make backgrounds. I also like to use scraps to create small fun pieces. “Scrap Landscapes” are from an on-going challenge I have with myself to use up a small cabinet of fabric that I have saved from other projects.
Why textiles? Why fabric painting and art quilting?
Toward the end of City and Guilds in P&Q, I discovered the joys of fabric painting and I have been exploring the possibilities of that medium ever since. I find it such a very accessible medium to use at home. When I began I didn’t have my own space in which to create but found that this way of working allowed me to use pockets of time I had while raising my children to create my own fabric.
Are there recurring themes in your work? What is it about a subject that inspires you to continue exploring it?
My work has always been inspired by landscape and nature. I live on the coast, so naturally that informs my quilts and the fabrics that I create. Birds and other creatures also turn up from time to time.
What do you do differently? What is your signature that makes your work stand out as yours?
I paint my fabric. Sometimes people mistakenly assume that I have dyed the cloth but I don’t just use the medium to add embellishments. I create the whole piece of cloth with fabric paint. I love experimenting and then discovering new ways to use it, as in “Aerial View”.
What is the most important takeaway you want readers to gain from your book, Small Art Quilts: Explorations in Paint & Stitch?
I wrote the book so that those who were unable to come and take a workshop with me could still get a thorough knowledge of the techniques and processes that I like to use. It was the publisher who chose the subject of Small Art Quilts, but all of it applies to quilts of any size. The good thing for me was that it meant I was able to produce lots of new pieces in the time I had available. Those who don’t want to paint their own cloth can still learn from the sections on design and techniques.
When it comes to creating, are you more of a planner or an improviser?
Definitely an improviser because I enjoy the “what ifs” of the creative process.
What are the indispensable tools and materials in your studio?
White cotton fabric and fabric paint.
Do you use a sketchbook or journal? How does that help your work develop?
I have accumulated a lot of sketchbooks over the years since they were a very important part of the City and Guilds qualifications. I have come to realise that they rarely have any direct bearing on my textile pieces, but they are still an important part of my process. I love using them for fun and as a means of getting the creative juices flowing. If I have fallen into a bit of a lull I always find that some sessions with my sketchbooks gets me back on track.
What plays in the background while you work? Silence? Music, audiobooks, podcasts, movies? If so, what kind?
If I really have to concentrate, then I need silence. But I can listen to music if I am painting. When I am stitching I like to listen to a book or watch something via my laptop because it keeps me focussed. Without this my mind wanders off and I end up losing concentration.
Can you tell us about the inspiration and process of one of your works? How does a new work come about?
A lot of the time my work has come about because of the fabric, either as a whole piece or as remnants or scraps from other projects. The piece “127 Goodbyes” came from a number of sunset sky fabrics that I had painted over the years. I used to paint to order for other people and the outcomes were not always as good as I would like but there was plenty to salvage from these fat quarters or from left over pieces from other projects, and they ended up becoming this quilt.
How has your creativity evolved over the years? What triggered the evolution to new media/kinds of work/ways of working?
It used to be all about machine stitching, but I find I love hand stitching more and more. Now I am also experimenting with other art supplies that can be used on fabric.
What was the biggest challenge that you encountered on your creative journey? What did you learn from it?
Finding the time to do all that I want to do. Still trying to find the answer to that one.
Do you think that creativity comes naturally to people, or do you think creativity is a skill that people can learn?
Some people are born with more natural creativity than others, but I believe that if you have the desire it is something that you can learn and cultivate for yourself.
What advice would you give to emerging artists?
Keep doing the work, keep practicing, take the time to learn, but most of all enjoy the process.
Do you lecture or teach workshops? How can students/organizers get in touch with you to schedule an event?
I have been very fortunate and grateful to have been asked teach my techniques in the UK and overseas. While I will continue to do so, going forward I am cutting back on the travelling to concentrate on organising my own workshops near my home and moving a lot of my content online.
Tell us about your website. What do you hope people will gain by visiting?
The main focus on my website is to teach others how to paint their own fabric. I am in the process of creating online workshops as well as building a resource of fabric painting videos and textile art quilting techniques.
Learn more about Deborah:
Deborah’s website
Follow Deborah on Instagram
Interview posted April 2022
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