Omnipotent Horizons

Lucy Tiley

Lucy Tiley is a bespoke Hand Embroiderer whose practice stems from the exploration of tactile properties in textiles for interior settings, which aim to create maximum texture. Her knowledge of traditional hand embroidery techniques allows her work to be technically impressive to create striking high-end interior collections.

It is important to Lucy that her work evokes the need to touch; she encourages the idea of haptic sensibility and having a physical connection to the piece. She tends to choose materials through handling them directly, not always choosing materials that are visually pleasing but ones that gain a memorable reaction from the audience. Colour palettes consisting of rich tones with splashes of bold contrasting colours are her most successful pieces. Her work is often constructed with abstract patterns and organic shapes allowing colours to intertwine fearlessly. Lucy’s stitching follows the route of traditional hand embroidery, with Crewelwork surface stitches, Goldwork techniques and elements of Stumpwork.

‘Omnipotent Horizons’ is an interior collection consisting of a re-vamped period style chair and matching stool, based around aerial views. Using a colour pallet of bold purples and oranges coupled with fierce patterns, Lucy captures the beauty of the landscape through organic paint marks that then translate into beautiful stitch. She uses layers of embroidery and fabric manipulation to mimic the textual feel of her artworks. Aiming to create collections that are sculpted around her client’s lives, their needs and wants are important to ensure the personal connection between person and furniture; to connect through their senses.

Lucy says, “My work is a combination of bespoke embroidery combined with more contemporary processes and materials. My Major Project is based on the theme of aerial views, focusing on the beautiful naturally occurring patterns and colours in our landscapes. I have been painting canvas with a range of aerial views and have decided on a striking purple/orange piece as my inspiration for my collection. I am working towards an interior collection consisting of an Edwardian chair and matching stool, both reupholstered and embellished with a range of embroidery techniques. I have scanned and printed my painting onto a soft velvet which has given it a vibrant and crisp look to the paint strokes. Alongside my Major Project I have been expanding my portfolio by sampling a combination of materials and techniques with a monochrome colour pallet, these I aim to manipulate into designs for other pieces of furniture and interior accessories in the future.”

In summer 2020, Lucy will graduate from the Royal School of Needlework with a BA (Hons) in Hand Embroidery. Lucy has worked as a Freelance Embroiderer for both Alexander McQueen and Safiyaa fashion brands. She was a short-listed award winner of the TXT Textile Artists Association’s competition which allowed her work to be exhibited in Slovakia.

You can follow Lucy on her Instagram page.

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