In January I was commissioned by SIT Select to capture some of the artist’s work for the Trail brochure. This contains the details for many of the Makers around the Stroud Valleys who open their studios in May to the public. It’s the perfect opportunity to see the vast variety of creatives in and around Stroud, some of whom prefer to hide away in the background and just do what they love to do best. One of these extraordinary artists is Francesca Chalk, a designer and illustrator, she is a member of the Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen and her work can be seen in their shop in Cheltenham (next to the Town Hall).
Francesca is influenced by folk art and nature and her latest set of work is an intricate study of seaweed. The gorgeous earthy colours and free flowing organic painterly lines lend themselves to capture the fluid movement of the subject matter, you can almost taste the salty air of the sea just looking at them. She has transferred her set of seaweed paintings on to fabric and I’m sure will be available as cards soon. She has a wonderful eye and keeps her designs simple and graphic, concentrating and drawing the eye to the bird, animal or plant that she has captured.
It was an absolute pleasure to meet and photograph Francesca, her work is original and captivating, my favourite place was her studio with all her colourful washes pinned all around. I hope sharing this glimpse of her work will encourage you to visit some of the incredible artists we have in the Stroud Valleys.
You can purchase and find out more about Francesca’s work by going onto her website, she also does private commissions:
http://www.commonthreaddesign.co.uk
http://www.sitselect.org/sitselecttrail.html
http://guildcrafts.org.uk/members/francesca-chalk/
