Creating in the slow lane
Making art with cross-stitch takes time . . . a lot of time. It can take an hour just to finish a single square inch. Writer Kim Newth meets textile artist Felicity Georgeson, who explains why she adores creating in the slow lane with fabric, thread and n
Alove of colour and texture is a pervasive and unifying force in the life of Christchurch artist and chef Felicity AKA Flic Georgeson, whose favourite saying ‘‘Eat the Rainbow, Ban the Beige’’ – could equally apply to the dinner table as to a work of art.
Georgeson’s original plan after leaving school was to pursue a career in graphic design. While studying, she began working part-time in a restaurant. One day, the chef got sick and the restaurant needed another at short notice. Georgeson put her hand up, gave it a go and never looked back.
‘‘Being a chef is not what I wanted to do when I was growing up. I fell into the industry by chance but it works for me being a creative person. I love the colour and presentation side of it and it would be impossible for me to sit at a computer all day. While I work as a chef, I have a strong focus on art and design too. I used to do a lot of Japanese wood block printing and enjoyed painting in acrylics for many years.’’
Georgeson says she used to hold a picture in her head when painting and work from that to create bright, abstract pieces. However, after the February 2011 earthquake, that way of creating art went out the window.
‘‘I was in the kitchen at Ground deli in Lyttelton at the time. That earthquake shook the building so much and I remember parts of the fac¸ ade coming down. I’d always been creative, but after that earthquake I felt like I had the memory of a goldfish and couldn’t hold on to a single creative thought for more than 20 seconds.’’
After the stress of the earthquakes came a health crisis, with her partner battling cancer;