Inspiration

“The crashing of the waves against the cliffs to the east was drowning the wind”
O’Flaherty, Liam (1924) The Black Soul.

In August 2013, I made a trip to the Aran Islands.

The Aran Islands are located just off the west coast of Ireland, which can be reached by passenger ferry from either Galway or Doolin. 

Inspired by the craggy landscape of Aran’s windswept and wild coastline, and the knitted jumpers that the islands are famous for, in this new collection, I have created a range of surface pattern designs, printed fabrics, wallpapers and knitted blankets and cushions for the home.

The starting points of this collection are my creative sketchbooks and photography. Photographs of the landscape taken during a field trip to two of the islands; Aran Mor and Inis Meain; include images of the miles of stone-walls that make up the islands, the crashing Atlantic sea and craggy rock formations.

This mood board helped form the inspiration for the project:

From the late 18^th Century, these islands have inspired many Irish and Anglo-Irish writers, poets, artists, musicians - and knitters. I found the raw beauty of the rugged coastline, the simplicity of life, the fight for survival and the ancient monuments inspirational during my visit; these formed a springboard for creating the sketchbooks, and the designs for the collection. 

And proved to have a profound effect on my direction and work.

This is the final colour palette for the collection: