Craig Fellows, designer / printer
Craig Fellows is a designer / printer specialising in printed textiles for fashion with a passion for colour. He combines his fine art talents with a love of fashion prints and textiles. He transforms illustrations into beautiful fashion and interior pieces byusing traditional, contemporary and digital printing techniques. Every piece in the collection is completely unique and can truly not be found on the high street.
I am fascinated by the insects, plants and wee beasties Craig uses in his illustrations and prints. Craig will have some of his work at my NGS Open Garden & Secret Craft Fair on the 15th & 16th of June. Craig runs his business from a home studio in Northampton and lectures on a part time basis on fashion, textile and surface design degree courses at Northampton University. I asked him a few questions about his work, and gardens.
What are you currently involved in? I’m planning my Christmas craft shows and fairs whilst finalising some agreements for work to be included in a few contemporary craft exhibitions. I continually draw in my sketch book and recently I’ve been looking at a shapes, textures and colours found in moths, butterflies and white fly wings. These are the basis for some additional autumn prints for my current collection of work. I am excited to start my MA in Textile Design Innovation where I will be investigating both traditional and contemporary textile printing processes and techniques.
How do gardens inspire what you make or do? I have always felt like I was making discoveries whilst researching by looking at natural subjects like flowers, insects or birds. Drawing my own shapes, textures and patterns, making my own colour investigations. I feel that if I was to choose Architecture for example, it has already undergone a design process and most of the decisions have already been made for me. The render, form, materials and colour have already been decided, where in nature they are naturally occurring and I am making those discoveries as I draw and paint.
What work will you have at the secret craft fair? I have a lovely range of work to exhibit at the Secret Craft Fair, many of the pieces are inspired by photographs and drawing I made whilst visiting Birmingham Botanical Gardens and RHS Wisley. A selection of silk scarves, both long and square will be available to try on and I have some great men’s gifts like my handkerchief sets, which would be perfect for Father’s Day.
We all have memories and experiences of gardens, what is your —
Earliest memory? My earliest memories are picking my granddads pears, blackberries and watering the giant sunflowers.
The strangest thing you have seen? The most unusual thing that I have seen in the garden is a yellow spotted slug that I found in my moms compost heap. This inspired my slug investigations and drawings for my quirky ‘Escargatoire’ silk scarf print.
Happiest time? In the school summer holidays and the smell of the grass just after it’s rained on a hot day.
And, what sort of a gardener are you? I enjoy other people’s gardens and understand the hard work that goes into creating and maintaining them. However I’m a terrible gardener, plants don’t last long in my garden, although I am fantastic at growing weeds!
You can see and purchase work by Craig Fellows and other artists at the NGS Open Garden & Secret Craft Fair in Loughborough, Leicestershire on the 15th & 16th of June. Come along to see his work inspired by gardens, and their inhabitants.
Website WWW.CRAIGFELLOWS.CO.UK
Twitter @CraigRFellows