Jill Welham: Metamorphosis Collection
This project started out as a way to keep busy and making work through the winter, using vintage lace to create new images. Like a butterfly that metamorphoses throughout the different stages of it's life cycle the project has changed and grown and the ideas have been flowing. This collection consists of 22 original cyanotype prints, all created on Hahnemuhle Platinum Rag paper. They are unique one of a kind prints. Clicking on the image will take you directly to the shop page where you can find out more information about each print and purchase.
The new collection is divided into three different themes:
The new collection is divided into three different themes:
- Lace Collages
- Lace Doilies
- Butterflies
Lace Collages
Created using small off-cuts of lace, layered and composed on the paper during the cyanotype exposure capturing tiny details of the intricate patterns and evidence of their former life as a cuff of a sleeve or the edging from an old table cover.
Lace Doilies
Vintage doilies and table covers made from linen and cotton, some edged with lace, others composed entirely of lace. They are no longer used for their intended purpose but languish in a drawer hidden from view. Capturing their silhouettes and patterns gives them a new meaning and purpose, to hang on the wall to be seen and appreciated everyday. Some of them are in a poor state of repair with loose threads, stains and tears but this is part of their attraction in their new incarnation. Please note that some of these designs go right to the edge of the paper and would be best displayed float mounted in a box frame.
Butterflies
The life of a butterfly is transient and they appear so delicate and fragile as they fly across our gardens and landscapes but some of them travel for thousands of miles as they migrate across the oceans to breed or overwinter. Here in the UK they are mainly seen in summer but they stay in our memories as something to look forward to when they start to return in the spring. They are often considered to be lucky, especially blue butterflies which are less common here too. Incorporating butterfly silhouettes and blending them with the floral patterns of the lace has created ghostly images of butterflies captured in a floral net and almost three dimensional images of lace patterns on the delicate butterfly wings.
