Lesson video

Hi, I'm Miss Blue and I'm really excited to be learning with you today.

I hope you find our lesson as interesting as I do.

Let's get started.

The outcome of this lesson is, I can review the range of ways textile artists have been inspired by natural forms in art.

The keywords for today's lesson are natural forms, shapes, patterns and structures found in the natural world.

For example, shells, plants or bones.

Asymmetry, a lack of symmetry, when two sides of something are not identical but still balanced visually.

Pattern, a repeated design or sequence in shapes, colours or lines.

Let's start with textile artists spotlight, natural forms. Some themes and techniques textile artists might use are natural forms in textile art.

They may gather inspiration from natural colours, textures and shapes.

They may explore asymmetry and pattern.

Or look at the beauty in nature.

They could also find inspiration in the abstract arts informed by natural forms. Or the symbolism and meaning.

Artwork featuring natural forms has appeared across cultures and history.

However, the natural forms chosen often vary and hold different meanings depending on the culture.

Can you think of any natural forms that might have specific meanings? Pause the video here while you have a think.

In different cultures, natural forms are associated with specific meanings.

For example, in apple in Christianity is a symbol of temptation, knowledge and sin.

The Koru, a spiral symbol in Maori culture, signifies new life, growth and peace.

In Chinese culture, a lion or shishi is a symbol of strength, bravery, good luck and protection.

In Mexico, Marigolds are believed to guide the spirits of the deceased back to the living world.

The same natural form can hold nuanced alternative meanings for a range of cultures.

For example, the lotus flower in Ancient Egypt symbolises rebirth and the sun.

The flower closes at night and reopens in the daylight.

In Hinduism and Buddhism in India, it represents purity, enlightenment, and spiritual awakening.

In China, nobility beauty and knowledge.

Let's have a look at river or water.

Water is a powerful symbol in Lakota arts, reflecting its essential role in Lakota culture and spirituality.

In Gurindji art, water represents life, connection to the land, and cultural heritage.

In Japanese Shintoism, water is a symbol of purification and spiritual cleansing.

Let's test your knowledge.

Natural forms carry the same significance and meanings across all cultures and time periods.

Is this true or false? Pause the video while you decide.

If you chose false, you would be correct.

Natural forms of appeared in arts across time and cultures often chosen for their varying and specific significance, and symbolism Within that culture.

Artists exploring the symbolism of natural forms include, Susie MacMurray, who uses forms like nests and cocoons to explore femininity, protection and fragility.

Her work often takes the form of sculptural textile installations and dress-like structures.

Maryam Ashkanian's 'Garden series' draws and plant forms to reflect on dreams, memory, and emotional growth.

Ernesto Neto creates immersive sensory fabric installations that use organic forms and aromas to symbolise connection, spirituality, and our relationship of nature.

The diversity of colours, textures, and shapes found in nature inspires textile artists to create visually striking work.

Textile artists can create works which replicate natural forms or abstract works informed by natural forms. What natural form is inspired this work? Pause the video while you have a think.

Laura says, "I think this print is based on a cactus plant.

The shape and colour are accurate." Jun says, "The artist has abstracted the texture and extended it into the background to make the work visually appealing." Textile artists may be inspired by one single specific element like, the texture of bark, the pattern of leaves, the colour of a shell.

Aisha is using natural forms as a starting point, focusing on pattern in her textile work.

Art is inspired by specific elements of natural forms include, Nnena Kalu creates cocoon like sculptures using fabric, VHS tape and paper, making her work feel alive and organic.

Sheila Hicks uses wool, silk, shells, and even hospital laundry to mimic natural textures like vines, boulders, and ecosystems. Peter Collingwood creates woven macro-gauze structures inspired by natural symmetry and flowing movement.

Joel Adrianomearisoa works with silk, cotton and paper to explore emotional responses to natural textures and tones.

Through art, we can abstract natural form so much that it is no longer recognisable.

Let's have a look at these images.

How has this artist taken inspiration from the original natural form? Pause the video while you have a think.

Artists creating abstracted works informed by natural forms include, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Abakans are textile sculptures inspired by organic forms like trees, roots and bodies, exploring human nature connections.

Nnena Okore, in "Where Heaven Meets Earth", she uses natural materials to abstractly represent the intersection of nature and human experience.

Michael James' "Aubade, Morning Song", 2014 is an abstract work inspired by natural forms using muted colours and organic marks to represent landscapes.

Artists can use natural forms to comment on important issues in society such as climate change.

This can be part of a social action project.

Artists can use natural forms to address important issues in the world.

Eduardo Portillo creates woven textiles with silk, alpaca wool and natural dyes, highlighting ecosystem connections and sustainable practises rooted in the Venezuelan landscape.

Zefren M, "Mother Earth and Father Sky Entwined" 2022 combines traditional Navajo weaving with modern techniques to explore heritage, identity, and the environment reflecting a deep connection to the natural world.

Other themes and techniques textile artists might use are themes of decay and the ethereal, social action works and climate change, land art, trade, exploitation, and colonialism, highly accurate replication of natural forms. Which of the following artworks are not likely to have been inspired by natural forms? Is it A, B, C, or D? Have a look at the pictures and take a few moments to decide.

The correct answer is B.

Select two or three textile artists or specific artworks and compare them.

Consider these questions.

In what ways are the artworks visually similar or different? Think about subject, colour, tone, shape, style, composition and materials.

What themes, symbols, and ideas to the artwork explore? Are there any connections between them? Pause the video while you get on with the task.

You may have said something like Alex, "Nnena Kalu wraps fabric, tape, and paper to create sculptures that grow and twist like cocoons.

The bright colours and textures feel energetic and alive.

Her work explores repetition and transformation like nature is taking over." Izzy says, "Maryam Ashkanian's 'Garden Series' uses delicate embroidered plant forms and pillows to explore memory, dreams, and emotional growth.

Both artists use natural forms to explore change and their inner self." Now let's look at visual deconstruction in natural forms. What's the first thing that you notice about this printed textile design? Pause the video while you come up with your answer.

Textile artists use various techniques to communicate in their work.

For example, the elements of art, line, tone, colour, pattern, shape, form, texture, composition, space and perspective, materials and techniques, imagery and subjects.

We can deconstruct these techniques to understand the work more deeply.

Which of the following is not a common way textile artists communicate in their work? Is it A, choosing a subject or image that tells a story.

B, selecting materials or techniques that support their message.

C, recording their personal life in a diary.

Or D, using texture, colour, and shape to create a mood.

Pause the video while you come up with your answer.

If you chose C, you would be correct.

An artist recording their personal life in a diary is not a common way to communicate in the work.

How are the elements of art used in this work? Lines in a different thickness flow to record organic shapes and forms. Patterns are found in the reputed flowing lines.

Limited colour palettes with complementary contrast of pinks and green.

Texture can be found in the use of solid washes and scribbled marks.

The shapes and forms used are all natural and flowing.

High contrast tone defines the work and creates emphasis.

Natural forms often use flowing, asymmetrical elements that contrast with geometric rigidity, enabling dynamic compositions.

The asymmetrical image has been edited to explore symmetry.

This example is asymmetrical.

Whereas this shows one line of symmetry.

The final image shows two lines of symmetry.

What is the effect of symmetry in this natural form arts? Pause the video while you decide.

Why might textile artists use both symmetry and asymmetry when working with natural forms. Sofia says, "I could use asymmetry to move the viewer's eye across the composition." Jacob says, "Symmetry can be used as a decorative pattern on clothes and textile art." Asymmetry can make the work feel natural as a lot of the natural forms are not perfectly symmetrical." Let's test your knowledge, which is the most likely reason textile artists use asymmetry in their art and inspired by natural forms? Is it A, to confuse the viewer and hide the subject.

B, to follow strict mathematical rules in their composition.

C, to make the artwork look perfect and mechanical.

Or D, to reflect the irregular organic forms found in nature.

The correct answer is D.

The most likely reason textile artists use asymmetry in their art inspired by natural forms is to reflect the irregular organic forms found in nature.

Select one textile artwork and describe it by answering what can you see in this textile work? Think about the elements of art, line, tone, colour, pattern, shape, form, texture, composition, space and perspective, materials and techniques, imagery and subject.

How has the artist used these techniques to communicate with the audience? You could record this as an idea shower around an image of an artwork or write it out as a paragraph.

Pause the video while you start this task.

You may have said something like this.

"Looking at this image, printing blocks have been used to create a repeated pattern.

The background is lightly painted with diluted washes creating a soft blend of colour.

The main imagery is circular seed like shapes.

The composition is asymmetrical with negative space creating balance.

A warm background colour palette is contrasted with cool blue tones in the foreground helping to create focus." Each person notices different elements in an artwork and interprets artworks with varied ideas.

The next slide shows an alternative way to understand this work.

"This person has decided that the design is almost symmetrical, which makes it look flowing and natural.

Circles and seeds symbolise different but related concepts often related to creation cycles and potential.

Use of negative space to define flowing forms. The lack of detail in the background makes me think of soft textures.

The warm tones in the background draw my attention." Here's another example.

"In this artwork, the composition is circular.

It uses a photographic image transferred onto a silk screen and printed.

Colours are controlled as subtle browns with ochre tones.

The irregular leaf shapes form an asymmetrical pattern.

Leaves appear piled up in a ball.

Tone is created from the strong areas of contrast and tangled shadows." Now, let's look at personal connection in textile art, natural forms. How can looking at a textile artist's work help us to develop our own work? Look at how the first diagram has been translated in the second image.

Andeep says, "Textile art of similar themes can develop my ideas more than techniques or imagery." Sam says, "I'll look at techniques and processes and try to apply this to my theme.

Work that has similar imagery on natural forms will be helpful even if the theme is different." When looking at textile artwork for inspiration, which of the following is useful way to respond to it? Is it A, ignoring the meaning and just choosing random parts to copy.

B, only paying attention to the colours and nothing else.

C, taking ideas from the theme, technique, imagery, or a mix of them.

Or finally D, trying to copy the whole artwork exactly as it looks.

Pause the video while you decide on your answer.

The correct answer is C, taking ideas from the theme, technique, imagery, or mix of them.

There are a number of things which can cause us to have a personal connection with a textile artwork, such as the techniques used or themes explored.

We can identify and interpret how natural forms create deeper meanings in an artwork to examine our personal connection to the themes of the work.

We can often find links to our own themes through looking carefully at the works.

There are a number of things which can cause us to have a personal connection with the textile artwork, such as the techniques used or themes explored.

We can identify and interpret how natural forms create deeper meanings in artworks to examine our personal connection to the themes of the work.

We can often find links to our own themes through looking carefully at the works.

What meanings do you interpret from the natural forms represented in this work? Pause the video while you decide.

Lucas says, "The work inspires my theme of growth and decay.

The flowers blooming remind me of new life and regeneration." He goes on to say, "My theme is religion.

I could use natural forms which relate to narratives in different faiths and depictions of paradise.

Aisha says, "I wanted to look at floral natural forms from my grandparents' garden as part of my theme of memory." Can you think of any other thematic interpretations? Pause the video while you have a think.

Now, your task is to select one textile artwork and use the questions below to consider your personal connection to it.

What themes, symbols, or ideas does this art explore? Are there any symbols, imagery, or connections between them that help create a narrative or show meaning? Which techniques, processes, or creative decisions in this artwork inspires you? How might you use them in your own work? You could record this in an idea shower around an image of the art or write it as a paragraph.

Select one artwork and use the questions below to consider your personal collection.

You may have said, "Theme: repetition.

This links clearly to my theme of repetition as the circular motifs are repeated across the composition.

I like how similar shapes can have a strong impact visually in textile design.

I want to explore this idea in my own work by taking photos of repeated patterns in natural forms. I will edit the images to create a composition like this and then develop it further through printing, batik and embroidery." Another exemplary answer could be, "A theme of family and home.

For me, this woven sculpture reminds me of a root system which symbolised the feeling of belonging.

It is made from newspapers and made me think of how family stories create links between us.

I'm also drawn to the sculptural techniques, which are delicate and brought together to make a nest shape.

I will create a textile weaving, but using recycled clothing and papers to create a nest symbolising home." To summarise, natural forms are a rich source of inspiration in textile art, offering diverse colours, textures, and shapes.

Artists often use asymmetric and flowing elements found in nature to create expressive and dynamic compositions.

These forms can be repeated or stylized to create striking patterns.

Across cultures, natural forms carry symbolic meaning, and they're used to explore themes like identity, memory, and climate change.

Textile artists may replicate natural forms or abstract them to reflect personal or cultural ideas.

Thank you so much for listening and paying attention in this lesson.

I hope you learn something new and had fun along the way.

Seeing you next time.