Susan Kinley

Penberth
printed and laser cut bonded silk panels

Susan Kinley responded to the paintings and textile designs of Alec Walker, who set up the Crysede company in Newlyn, and later St Ives, in the 1920’s with Tom Heron. Painting and drawing from many locations in West Cornwall, his work moved between the fine and applied arts with fluidity and integrity. In particular, Kinley researched the woodblock printed silks that were based on locations in West Penwith.

Whilst the textile designs are fairly well documented, she wanted to re-visit some of the sites that had inspired them, photograph them, and see how they had changed. She decided to concentrate on two images she had taken at Penberth of a garden and stream running down to the sea.

Kinley has used two main techniques to translate her source imagery; digital printing and laser cutting. She used the former for soft, fluid backgrounds and the latter to scatter cut holes down through the panels to echo shadows and shapes cast down by sunlight through foliage.