Growth is a continuum, a flow, a movement of body, mind, and soul. It sways, ripples and moves through us instilling a power to be healed. In the works for this exhibition, Hutchinson explores growth, which is articulated through techniques such as embossing, casting, suturing, and embroidery; using materials such as cotton fabrics, muslin and thread.
Hutchinson's work is inspired by her family and her own journey of growth is heavily influenced by her grandfather, a healer; she is interested in how we can heal and how we heal as individuals; as a result, her subtle use of color and delicate materials calls for the audience to closely scrutinize her work and find a stillness. Her large-scale tapestries envelop the audience, giving them a sense of comfort and protection. The imagery presented upon these tapestries are inspired by abstracted line drawings of trees drawn by Hutchinsons' grandmother. Hutchinson interpreted these drawings and created processes that mimic the placement and sequencing of lines in the original drawings.
Undertaking these meticulous processes allowed Hutchinson to decipher what growth means to her. Growth articulated by thread through the branches of a tree that spread finding their directions and protection through the blanket embroidery stitch which surrounds the branches. The growth of the branches are staggered to symbolise the stages of growth and its unevenness - sometimes even uncertainty.
Her work is also inspired by the sense of protection orchestrated through Holy Wells, primarily the holy well in Killargue, Co. Leitrim. The protective mound that surrounds a person offers a sense of comfort and this feeling was conveyed through a traditional tent structure also on display in the gallery, wherein the audience are invited to enter and sense its protective membrane. Other devices are used to evoke traditional values and beliefs of family and the travelling community such as the repetitious use of floral motifs found on her family’s caravan. These were embossed in to muslin panels and then stitched together to form long undulating hanging fabrics which encompass the audience in the main installation piece of the exhibition.
Francesca Hutchinson (1999) is an Offaly based multidisciplinary artist. She has recently graduated from Limerick School of Art and Design where she specialised in Fine Art, Painting. Her most recent work ‘Ephemera’ (2022) consists of a large-scale installation, which creates a space for peace and hope, through reconciliation and reflection of oneself. By examining how religion and illness can intertwine, Hutchinson employs ritual, repetition and movement as a form of healing and therapy. Her work is ever evolving and stems from a variety of inspirations; intuitively her practice is motivated by her family, and her family’s heritage coming from the Travelling community. Francesca is continuing her journey through education by pursuing a Professional Master of Education in Art and Design. Her dream is to continue to pursue her career as an artist and as a teacher, by enriching the lives of young people through the joy and freedom creativity brings.
