Bradford textile artist and knitwear designer, Dawn Hemming, is a largely self-taught knitwear and home-wear designer and fibre craftsperson with over 40 years experience. She specialises in circular mandalas and shawls, but also creates a range of hand-knitted accessories, including neck warmers and hats. Her work is characterised by bold colours and the mixed contemporary and traditional motifs; her designs combine mathematical structure with creativity. She says of her work:
Each project is an experiment to see how pattern and colour work with each other.I love to invent new techniques for shaping and use these almost as ‘trade marks’ to highlight my pieces. I like to work with natural fibres and vibrant colour combinations, preferring to work in the round with fair isle patterns. I love colour, texture and shaping.
Dawn learned to knit as a child and worked as a teenager in a knitting warehouse for an international knitwear company and was inspired by the range of different coloured yarns. Throughout her teenage years and into adult life, Dawn has continued to develop her craft.
Although she gained a City & Guilds qualification in Knitwear and Design, her designs and inspiration are drawn predominantly from her own life experiences. In addition to her work as a textile artist, Dawn is also a folk singer, songwriter, published poet and novelist, and also leads workshops in knitting and creative writing.
Dawn also studied Arts and Humanities at the University of Bradford, graduating with an honours degree in 1995.
Her textile designs have been exhibited at national shows, including at the Alexander Palace, London, and in Harrogate, and locally at the Bingley Little Theatre, and the Trapezium Gallery, Kirkgate, Bradford.
Artist Contact: Dawn Hemming
You Tube Film: Dawn taking about her work at the Alexander Palace exhibition in London: Meet The Artist’ (No:3)| Dawn Hemming | Spiraling Out Exhibition
(Photographs above are the copyright of the artist and used with her permission).