Wednesday 7 August 2013

Olga de Amaral

There are so many things to love about the Colombian home of handbag designer Nancy Gonzalez that was featured in the latest AD (below). Designed with the help of Jean-Louis Deniot...how can you go wrong?  The serene colour palette, the furnishings, the openness of the space and...the light. Such a delight.

One of the many elements that really stood out to me, was the lovely piece by Gonzalez's friend, Colombian textile artist Olga de Amaral.


I've been aware of de Amaral's existence for some time now, so it certainly was nice to see one of her pieces installed in such a lovely interior.



Having worked with textiles for many years early in my career before transitioning to interiors, beautiful fabrics will always be my first love and a passion of mine, which is probably why de Amaral's work speaks to me.

de Amaral's internationally renowned work is often in the form of a large tapestries, and she is known for her architectural and sculptural constructions that “turn textiles into golden surfaces of light.” Her always evolving artisanal techniques which incorporate paint and gesso coated fibres, and precious metals, seamlessly integrate art, craft, and design. She is a pioneering textile artist, who in the 1960s helped to turn textile arts from a primarily 2D representational art form into a 3Dl, abstract art form.

These are but a few of her beautiful creations. I would love one of her pieces of my own one day...











“Gold is the abstraction of color.” - Olga de Amaral