Our latest blog is written by Emma Gorrie, a textile artist and recent graduate of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design’s Textile Design degree. Emma used the Print Clan studio in March 2024 to work on a commission for The Fashion & Textile Museum, London. 

Hi, I am Emma Gorrie, a textile artist and designer who creates emotive and bespoke prints, which centre on the expressive use of colour. Inspired by the intersection between science and art, I explore the interaction of textiles with art therapy. Through research, I establish a connection with textiles and emotive responses rooted in the senses and memories.  I am inspired by Rothko’s intricate relationship with colour and how his life experiences impact his colour usage. I strive to create a space for joy in my work, infusing my personality into each piece, resulting in a celebration of connection and openness. The work I create is a playful exploration of emotion and colour.

I create my colour recipes by building a relationship with each colour, learning how they interact with one another. I apply dyes using a combination of mono-print, screen print and hand painting. The layered printing builds depth and intensity, creating prints that are unique and embrace the incidental marks of mono-print and the serendipitous interaction of bleeding dyes. The physicality of printing creates a direct connection between me and my work, fostering a tangible bond with the viewer.

This work was commissioned as part of the Fashion and Textile Museum Award for Excellence in Textile Design at New Designers 2023. Alongside my printed length I led workshops for Newham College’s Art and Design students; the workshops were all about colour analysis and creating a colour pallet. The workshops helped in informing my design decisions for the printed length. The workshops were an amazing opportunity to work with young adults and teenagers, I had a great time talking to them about their projects and answering their questions about art school.

The length was printed using Procion reactive dyes, and I was careful to test the interactions colours had with one another to utilise over printing to develop depth. As a newly graduated textile designer, Print Clan is a fantastic resource with all the tools and space to create textile pieces. The team were incredibly supportive of my work and keen to listen to my ideas. I had so much fun creating this piece and relished in my full access studio space which is an amazing experience for a new graduate. 

More of Emma’s work can be seen on her Instagram and website.