Charlotte Ngaio Fairless

Cucumbers, 2017

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60" x 36"

Paint marker on paper

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Submission to Svenskt Tenn exhitbit "Ten Textile Talents," February 2018.

I was inspired by Josef Frank's print design titled "Aramal." I like how the large leaves are the focus of the pattern, but when looking more closely you discover the delicate flowers sheltering from the sun beneath them. After a lush summer full of plants, I fell in love with the cucumber vine. I think every part of a cucumber vine is beautiful, and there is a type of harmonious contrast between all parts of the plant. The leaves are large and sun-seeking, like in "Aramal," but hidden beneath are the plant's true treasure- the fruit, the cucumber. I find the contrast between the thin dry leaves, and the juicy cucumbers beneath them evocative of summertime and the wonderful bounty hot weather can produce. 

 

In choosing my colors and drawing style, my aim was to capture the complex light of the bright sun on a garden plant. I used six colors to individually design each leaf and cucumber, with the specific objective that each should appear different, as they are on a real plant. In a nod to Josef Frank, I stylized and exaggerated my cucumber vine, to create a pattern that is both real and fantastical. My hope is that as a textile, my pattern will give the impression of being in a lush garden full of hidden potential. My goal is for it to appear relatively uniform from a distance, but upon further inspection you can see that each leaf and cucumber is a color and value experiment.