Angela Whitney is an artist whose practice explores the relationship between colour, pattern and texture. With over twenty years of experience as a visual designer, her work reflects a considered shift from digital design to slow, tactile making. She works with repetition, grid structures and subtle variation, drawing quiet influence from the rhythms and textures of both the natural world and the built environment.
Your background is working as a freelance graphic designer. How has this informed your artistic practice?
I think in lots of ways, my background in graphic design has enabled me to make decisions quickly and be brave with colour palettes that we think might not traditionally work. During the formative years of my career, I spent almost six years in London working as an editorial and publication designer where precision and grid systems were part of everyday practice. That balance between structure and intuition became ingrained in my design work and continues to influence my art practice now. I often start by measuring and mapping things out to create a strong foundation, then allow myself the freedom to respond intuitively as the piece develops.
Your background is working as a freelance graphic designer. How has this informed your artistic practice?
I think in lots of ways, my background in graphic design has enabled me to make decisions quickly and be brave with colour palettes that we think might not traditionally work. During the formative years of my career, I spent almost six years in London working as an editorial and publication designer where precision and grid systems were part of everyday practice. That balance between structure and intuition became ingrained in my design work and continues to influence my art practice now. I often start by measuring and mapping things out to create a strong foundation, then allow myself the freedom to respond intuitively as the piece develops.
You create beautifully vibrant works utilising textiles such as yarn and cotton. How did you come to create your works initially?
I was initially interested in weaving and how colours come together in different combinations to create patterns. I started experimenting with paper before trying some off-loom weaving with a needle and thread. I realised that what I loved the most was seeing how different combinations of colours change the mood or feeling of a piece. As I became more confident I started working with larger blocks of colour, exploring how different combinations could create a sense of balance, energy or calm.
You have a wonderful eye for colour and combining a rainbow of hues together. How do you select the colour combos at first?
I see interesting colour palettes everywhere! I’m always inspired by nature and the built environment, sometimes I’ll take a photo and come back to it to see whether it’s something I think might work in an artwork. I’ve got quite a collection of cottons now so before I start a piece, I pull them all out and try to match them to the photos I’ve taken. That usually sends me on a journey of picking up other colours moving them around next to each other looking for other palettes that feel interesting and balanced. I try to include a range of tones to give the pieces depth and movement. Sometimes I take photos of the combinations and come back to them later with fresh eyes, just to check they still work after some time away.
You have a wonderful eye for colour and combining a rainbow of hues together. How do you select the colour combos at first?
I see interesting colour palettes everywhere! I’m always inspired by nature and the built environment, sometimes I’ll take a photo and come back to it to see whether it’s something I think might work in an artwork. I’ve got quite a collection of cottons now so before I start a piece, I pull them all out and try to match them to the photos I’ve taken. That usually sends me on a journey of picking up other colours moving them around next to each other looking for other palettes that feel interesting and balanced. I try to include a range of tones to give the pieces depth and movement. Sometimes I take photos of the combinations and come back to them later with fresh eyes, just to check they still work after some time away.
There is a beautiful tension in your work between order and variation. How much of the final piece is carefully planned, and how much do you allow the works to evolve naturally as you make?
I work in two distinct styles and I take a different approach to each. I tend to work more intuitively on my looser weaves, where there is space between the threads. I start with a colour and allow the composition to develop as I work. These pieces evolve over time and I often rework them several times until the balance feels right. I take a more structured approach with my tighter weaves, where the threads sit closely together to form blocks of colour. I plan these pieces on my computer using a grid system, which allows me to explore colours and composition before I begin weaving. Having that framework in place essentially gives me a pattern to work from and reduces the amount of rework I need to do.
Your process is intentionally slow and meditative. What does slow making mean to you personally?
After years of designing on a computer and being able to make changes at the touch of a button, making things by hand forces me to slow down be present with the materials. I feel really lucky that I’ve found a way to be creative, present and let my mind wander all at the same time.
Where do you tend to seek the majority of your inspiration from? Do you like to use visual leads (visual dairies, images etc), environmental inspiration or a bit of both?
I love nature and being outside but I’m equally as fascinated by the built environment and the negative spaces created by buildings and structures. I don’t keep a visual diary as such, I have an ‘inspiration’ folder in my camera roll where I document interesting things I’ve snapped.
Your work has a quietness to it. Is that something you consciously seek, or is it a quality that emerges naturally from your process?
It’s not something I consciously seek but it’s interesting that the work comes across that way because some of the colours I use are very loud! I wonder if it’s the combination of the colour and the yarn that work together to form a rhythm and that has a calming effect? I’m quite a quiet person so perhaps it’s just part of me embedded in the work.
Do you have a favourite colour combination that you never seem to tire of?
I’ve always been drawn to bright colours but recently I’ve been exploring what happens when I use a mix of brights and neutrals. One favourite combination I keep coming back to is lilac purple and a rich tobacco brown, I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of it!
Do you have a favourite colour combination that you never seem to tire of?
I’ve always been drawn to bright colours but recently I’ve been exploring what happens when I use a mix of brights and neutrals. One favourite combination I keep coming back to is lilac purple and a rich tobacco brown, I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of it!
What is one thing you know now about making that you wish you had known when you first began?
It’s very, very addictive! I think I annoy my family because I spend any spare time I have working on my pieces!
You create beautifully vibrant works utilising textiles such as yarn and cotton. How did you come to create your works initially?
I was initially interested in weaving and how colours come together in different combinations to create patterns. I started experimenting with paper before trying some off-loom weaving with a needle and thread. I realised that what I loved the most was seeing how different combinations of colours change the mood or feeling of a piece. As I became more confident I started working with larger blocks of colour, exploring how different combinations could create a sense of balance, energy or calm.
You create beautifully vibrant works utilising textiles such as yarn and cotton. How did you come to create your works initially?
I was initially interested in weaving and how colours come together in different combinations to create patterns. I started experimenting with paper before trying some off-loom weaving with a needle and thread. I realised that what I loved the most was seeing how different combinations of colours change the mood or feeling of a piece. As I became more confident I started working with larger blocks of colour, exploring how different combinations could create a sense of balance, energy or calm.
Is there a place here in Aotearoa that is dear to your heart and why?
When we were kids we used to go camping at a beach in southern Hawkes’ Bay every year called Aramoana. It was absolute paradise. The camping ground no longer exists and it’s been renamed Shoal Bay but I hold my childhood memories of Aramoana very close, it’s a very special place.
Angela Whitney is an artist whose practice explores the relationship between colour, pattern and texture. With over twenty years of experience as a visual designer, her work reflects a considered shift from digital design to slow, tactile making. She works with repetition, grid structures and subtle variation, drawing quiet influence...
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