Research

I have found an interesting website - 
The Letterform Archive
- a virtual museum of typographic master-pieces collected by Rob Saunders with samples from 1605. 

Last Friday I visited the Fashion and Textile Museum on Bermondsey to see the Artist Textiles exhibition which features 20th century artists who have designed textiles - including Salvador Dali, Henry Moore, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and many more. 

Zandra Rhodes 'Medals' 1964

I was particularly pleased to see the Medals design by Zandra Rhodes which I have long admired but only previously seen in books.  Screenprinted with vibrant colours, the design is fifty years old but I think it looks fresh and contemporary.

Saul Steinberg
 

I was intrigued by the section 'America, the 1950s-1960s:Illustration into Textiles'.   Saul Steinberg created wallpapers and textiles in an illustrative and amusing style.  I have been wary of literal representation (albeit in a cartoonish style) of subject matter but this exhibition included some witty Steinberg designs of trains, train stations, fairgrounds and weddings.  Some were used as border designs for skirts.



Sarah Campbell 'Sonnet' scarf
 

handpainting designs

The exhibition also included a film and small exhibition of Sarah Campbell designs.  The film explained Sarah's love of handpainting designs.  On the left is a design which was handpainted for a 'sonnet scarf'.

Sarah worked in collaboration with her sister Susan, but since her sister's death she is continuing her design work independently.