Angie Lewin and Dovecot Studios
Teabowl & Bracken
2023
Dovecot Studios is thrilled to announce its collaboration with renowned painter and printmaker Angie Lewin to create a handwoven tapestry from her exquisite miniature wood engraving titled Teabowl & Bracken, measuring 75mm x 50mm. The tapestry was woven by Naomi Robertson, Louise Trotter, and Ben Hymers. Angie Lewin approached the studio in the summer of 2023, inspired by Dovecot's major exhibition Scottish Women Artists: 250 Years of Challenging Perception. The collaboration was motivated by the artists' shared excitement to explore the different scale, optical, and structural properties of their materials. This exciting collaboration celebrates the fusion of the worlds of printmaking and tapestry.
Credit: Alun Callendar
Despite the differences in materials between tapestry and printmaking, the collaboration provides an opportunity for experts in their fields to learn from each other's approaches for creating marks, interpreting colour, and expressing ideas. Dovecot has previously interpreted the work of Scottish printmakers such as Alan Davie, Barbara Rae, Victoria Crowe, and John Byrne, among others, but never before on such a dramatic variation of scale.
Credit: Peter Dibdin
Lewin’s print work primarily features a limited palette of solid colours. The limited palette of the print was enriched by mixing threads to achieve colour matching for the tapestry, resulting in a finished product that reflects the colour of the print but elevates it to a different level with more richness and texture. This can be found in the various shades of black in the piece. The black in the background uses a mix of black and brown, while the black detailing on the bowl uses hints of grey to create depth between the two elements.
Printmaking techniques often result in misregistration -when the separate colours of a print image overlap- which becomes more apparent when scaled up. These details become clearer when the piece is transformed into a tapestry, highlighting the handcrafted nature of the work and bringing an appreciation to both crafts. The skill and artistic judgment that go into the collaboration enhances the original artwork, while still holding on to the original artist's vision.
Credit: Phil Wilkinson
The tapestry is supported through the Dovecot Foundation and The Scottish Gallery, and will be featured in The Miniaturist Gallery exhibition at The Scottish Gallery from November 30th to December 22nd 2023. It will also run in parallel with the Scottish Women Artists: 250 Years of Challenging Perception exhibition from July 28th 2023 to January 6th 2024.