All of which means that I stand in awe and admiration of anyone with the gift of imagination and the skill to translate their imaginings into some form of reality.
We, of course, have our own resident "creative genius", who can look at a piece of metal and devise a myriad uses. This is the guy who came up with the a patented, functional, stylish and highly successful glass fryer and then devised the cast iron slow cooker. His thoughts take shape on a piece of paper, gain form in wood and metal. He looks at a pan and sees infinite variety, I look at a pan and see dinner.
He IS Netherton Foundry, his brain gave substance to each and every item in our range.
Whilst some of his ideas appear to come from nowhere, flashes of inspiration which stand or fall on their own merit, he also admits to the subconscious affect of years of studying and admiring the work of others, as well as a more conscious and deliberate design approach born of his admiration of a style, an artist, a movement.
Much of what is produced from cars to carpets, and everything we put in our homes, on our backs or in our handbags is derivative. A single, beautifully conceived and highly original idea is the seed that grows a myriad hybrids, each of which carrying the gene of imagination on to another generation of ideas. "Imitation", as it is said, "is the sincerest form of flattery" and plagiarism and forgery aside, this is fundamentally true. What greater compliment to an artist, that their work inspires that of others. There are few wholly original ideas out there, but those with inherent merit will endure in their own right and through the body of work that ensues; think Picasso, Christian Dior, the Sex Pistols. Of course, their brilliance will light the way for others to follow and their influence will find its way into our everyday lives. Nowhere is this truer than the world of fashion, with the translation of haute couture designs into High Street basics the very "fabric" (sorry!) of the fashion industry.
We have recently visited the New Brewery Arts Centre in Cirencester to see and exhibition of dedicated to the work of Lucienne Day.
Hers may not be name recognised as widely as those mentioned above, but her work was truly original and startlingly so.
The exhibition may be small, but it is beautifully displayed, the long drops of fabric breathtaking in their vibrancy.
There was also a lovely sample of fabric, called Dawn Chorus, by Vanessa Arbuthnott, which demonstrated perfectly how themes can be translated to produce entirely new designs.
Amidst the terrific fabrics and insightful photos was this tea towel, entitled Batterie de Cuisine which fascinated us as cookware makers, and I could almost hear the cogs turning in our creative genius's brain as he absorbed that pot bellied pan profile.
We would certainly recommend that you visit the exhibition if you are in the area and if not, find out if it's coming to a venue near you.
www.netherton-foundry.co.uk
Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2018 ©
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