I'm Holly Capstick, a textile and mixed-media artist from the East Riding of Yorkshire, UK. My work is created using a combination of painting, printing, textiles and mixed-media processes. I have a particular fondness for combining painting and free-motion machine embroidery. Much of my latest work features variations of these processes, with a particular interest in textile portraiture. 

 

My artwork has always been inspired by and evolved from my love of working on fabrics. With a background in textile design and teaching, I have spent many years creating textures and surfaces, drawing images from the world around me and exploring lots of techniques such as painting, screen-printing, block printing, digital design, free-motion machine and hand embroidery. With a degree in Textile Design and Surface Pattern (BA Hon International Textile Design and Surface Pattern from Cleveland College of Art and Design, now the Northern School of Art) I have always had a love of an explorative approach to textiles. I developed a range of printed and embroidered fabrics for handmade handbag designs over a period of years as well as working as a print, pattern and garment designer. I also qualified and worked as a teacher (PGCE), teaching Art and Design and Textiles to secondary and sixth-form pupils for over 10 years.

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In 2020, I set up Thread and Press CIC, a Community Interest Company, to run and deliver arts projects and workshops. This was an opportunity to develop a creative passion and work with a wider cross-section of the community. Whilst running a business and delivering workshops, I have three children and a busy family life. 

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Portraying the people around me and the moments that make our lives what they are, has helped me to feel a greater emotional and artistic connection to my practice. Recent work has been focused on portraiture. Looking at a face for hours at a time give me the opportunity to really think about the subject and the relationships we have with others. We all make connections with each other in so many ways and through varied contexts. There are unique experiences that we share with others and relationships that we have made throughout our lives.  There is so much to see in a face. From the varied nuances of our expressions to the unique elements of our personality, I use a mixture of layers to portray each subject.

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It is my love of textiles and my role as a mother that have been particularly influential to my latest work.  Women and children have been subjects that play a particular role in informing my current practice. I like to explore the bonds and relationships formed between mother and child and the challenges that women face as they manage a family. I am currently working on a collection of pieces that consider society's expectations of women and their perceived relationship with the arts and crafts. 

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I am passionate in championing textile art and supporting it's place alongside other artforms. Textile art is frequently misunderstood and mis-labelled. There is often a tendency to stereotype textile art ane consdeir it less favourable to other art forms. My work straddles the boundaries of art disciplines, and I want to help raise the profile of textile art as a valued and contemporary artform. 

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