My work is a response to images that attract me: The contrasts between sharp and muted, graphic and blurred. The translucent brightness of sunlight through coloured glass. The character of the English cottage and red brick terrace. The layering together of tone and texture where surfaces appear broken or fragmented. These are the elements I endeavour to build into my work - not based on realism but on the essence of a subject as I see and feel it. Whether that work is a painting, or a textile piece, the process is the same - a project of many fits and starts. Finally, I see the finished piece in my minds eye and follow that image through to a conclusion.
Bottle Abstact Ink & Acrylic 2007
Gilly finds it hard to recall a time when she wasn't interested in art and creativity - in colour, texture, shape and drawing. "I adored fabrics and fashion from an early age" she says, "something I inherited from my mother". Gilly loved to sew and at 10 years old began to make clothes. It was obviously in her blood because as well as her mother's interest in dressmaking, Gilly had relatives who had been glove-makers - including her maternal grandmother. They were employed in some of the many glove factories around the city of Worcester - including Dents and Fownes - which formed part of what was then an important local industry. "I also had a great-uncle on my father's side who had been a carpet designer at Brintons - it certainly explains why I never really found my forte in office work - something I did for several years!"
Her interest in design and making developed further. At 18 she joined a local amateur theatre group, making costumes and painting sets. " I have always been a bit of a dreamer - practical in terms of the physical creative requirements - but not pragmatic. To turn a thought - an idea - into the visible and tangible is an exciting process - sometimes magical, frequently frustrating but infinitely worthwhile. For me, function follows form - the creative process and aesthetic is what I enjoy most in my work."
Seagull Masks Malvern Theatre Players 2008 production James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
During the 1980's and early 1990's, Gilly was a fabric retailer. She was also a knitwear designer trading as Gilly Moon. Her designs sold in Europe and Australia, as well as in the UK. Later, when the recession came, she studied Fashion & Textile Design at the University of the West of England, Bristol, under the tutelage of Janet Haigh. During this time she was commissioned by Mulberry to design a knitwear collection. She graduated in1995 and 3 years later began teaching textiles, fashion and costume at The School of Art & Design, at Worcester College of Technology.
More recently she has endeavoured to focus on her mixed media work: " I love to work with paper, inks and paint as well as stitch and cloth - so although I have a textile background, the term 'mixed media' is a truer definition of my current practice and offers me a wider scope of expression."
Gilly works from her cottage in Worcestershire, overlooking the beautiful Teme Valley where she lives with her husband John and their big dog, Basil.
GILLY MOUND
