‘Fragments’ is a project collaboration between Drey Workshop and myself, supported by Argyll and Isles Culture Heritage and Arts Assembly with an aim to encourage tourists to explore and interact with the landscape in Argyll.

Highly decorated earthenware ‘fragments’ made by my mum, Karen McPhail of Drey Workshop, are hidden in unglazed pots in the landscape to be found by visitors. The fragments, patterned with images of nature and small spots of gold lustre, are reminiscent of tokens collected by medieval pilgrims or the everyday domestic pottery shards found in ancient sites of human habitation. The joy of finding sea worn pottery on the shore or the lure of a treasure hoard momentarily connects us with the past and it is this experience that has inspired our project.

Visitors are invited to PLEASE TAKE ONE and in doing so are participating in the journey of the fragment, hopefully inviting questions around worth and what it is we choose to leave for future generations to find.

I have memorialised the fleeting quality of the fragments by creating textile wall hangings inspired by the fragments. Selling in galleries and shops in Argyll the hangings give tourists a truly local and fresh artwork as a reminder of Argyll.

I began by drawing and painting the fragments before developing the designs as prints. There are two different wallhangings. The first is created through paper stencilling and screen printing. Due to the stencilling process this is a completely unique wallhanging that is made with the spontaneity like that of doing a painting. The colours, shapes and patterns are chosen and created as I print.

The initial wallhanging was then used to inform the design of the second hanging featured in the process video above. To produce this hanging I exposed screens to create permanent stencils. This enables me to quicken the printing process and create multiples of the one design, resulting in quality, hand made affordable work.

If you would like to shop the hangings click here. 

If you would like to learn more about the project click here or visit Drey Workshop.