‘Imagination, Transformation, Life’
Do you love nature and unique artwork?
Do you have a blank wall in your home you want to transform?
Ruth Ropper, Textile and Mixed Media Artist
Hi, I’m Ruth, a Textile and Mixed Media Artist living in Scotland who creates art inspired by natural landscapes around me, as well as by the colours of my Indian ancestry.
I start by drawing inspiration from nature or a specific colour palette. I decide which materials and techniques to use.
Then using an evolving organic process, I transform and give life to natural, reclaimed, and new materials to create a piece of textile art which is completely unique.
Nature Inspired Textile and Mixed Media Art
The textile art I create is inspired by seascapes, landscapes, amazing skies, trees, and plants. I love the way the colours change depending on the time of day and the seasons. Sometimes the art is inspired by colours or shapes in nature, or it can be more representative, such as a weeping willow tree by the river or a sunset.
I love nature and natural materials so the art I create reflects that in many ways. As a very tactile person, how objects and materials feel is important to me, I choose the best natural resources or upcycle materials from other sources to create a truly unique piece of textile art.
I want people to be drawn into the pieces of textile art and want to reach out and touch them if possible, not just view them from a distance. I like all my textile art to have life and movement in it and to be a thing of beauty that people will enjoy having in their homes.
The range of techniques used include hand dyeing, felting, macramé, weaving, and embroidery to create the artwork. Recycled, reclaimed and/or new materials may be used, often embellished with beads, shells, metal, or sea glass.
Commisioning Textile Art
It's simpler than you think!
Do you have an idea, theme or photograph that is inspiring, but you need to find the right piece of art to capture the essence of it?
Why not consider commissioning a unique piece of textile art for your home. Using your ideas and images as inspiration I will design and create a bespoke piece of art for your home. As I use an evolving process you will give me the freedom to interpret your ideas and images to create the finished piece.
By browsing my current and past artwork you can identify which specific aspects you do or don’t want to be included in your personal commission. For example, you may want a piece of art which reminds you of a holiday by the sea and contain the essence of the seascape image and your memories. Or you may have a favourite tree in a special location and want to capture that memory.
You can see how memories of willow trees by the River Ouse, York, where I grew up as a teenager, has been transformed into the artwork ‘Willow by the River’ using Macrame cords in cotton and bamboo, alongside hand dyeing the fringe to create the effect of water.
If you love the idea of having a bespoke piece of textile art created from your memories and images for your living space please contact me for a free consultation to discuss your ideas.
Creativity and Heritage
I believe we are all born creative, but we express it in different ways and these can change over time. I have more than 50 years’ experience working with textiles which started at my mother’s side and was also inspired by my grandmothers on both sides of the family.
It developed into a love of all things created by hand and over the years I have tried many different crafts and creative endeavours, but my first love has always been textiles. Over the years this has included hand and machine sewing and embroidery, macrame, weaving, patchwork, knitting, crochet, and a range of other textile crafts!
My love of bold colours and silk materials comes from my father and our Indian heritage. He came over to the UK in the 1950s to train as a mechanical engineer but has always had a love of colour and would wear bright coloured shirts when everyone else was in white! I have grown up with a love of bright colours and I have the colouring to wear them as well.
I believe that you should be able to touch textiles to really understand how they all work together to create a piece of art. This combination of a love of creating with my hands, using bold colours and tactile materials has led me to develop my skills in creating textile and mixed media art.
