MUSE
Althea McNish
I visited the fabulous exhibition of Althea McNish the textile artist, at The William Morris Gallery in London recently. I must admit I was not that familiar with her work, or perhaps I knew the work but not a lot about McNish.
McNish was a Trinidadian born designer, who came to the UK in the 1950’s. Her designs traversed both fashion and interior textiles.
Arthur Stuart-Liberty came across McNish during her final show at The Royal College of Art, where he immediately commissioned designs and McNish’s long design career began, ultimately working with the likes of Heals, Cavendish Textiles, Hull traders.
Her designs at the time were very innovative and distinctive from what was on the market. It was fabulous to see large swathes of her fabric, not only as textile exhibitions are rare but also because they filled the space with a wonderful sense of her free will. Drawing heavily on her Trinidadian roots in conjunction with the surrounding English countryside, she brings her gorgeous drawings to life with unique layouts and layering techniques that allow her designs to flow. Her use of colour resonates strongly with me, intense clashing colours sit alongside beautiful tonal palettes, topped with charcoal drawn lines, pure delight! It’s an exhibition that will stay with me.
Heti Gervis
