2019-08-01_Homes_&_Antiques 2

Tellusaboutyourbackground

I wasbornandgrewupin

SingaporewhereI wenttoart

collegeanddida degreein

graphicdesign.I movedtothe

UKwhenI was22,hopingto

havea bitoffunfortwoyears.

Soonaermoving,I metBen,

nowmyhusbandof 13 years.

Hecomesfroma veryartistic

family[Benisthegrandsonof

the artist Eric Ravilious] and

has always supported and

encouraged me to keep doing

what I love.

When did you rst discover

printmaking?

When I was at art college. We

had lessons in lino printing,

which I enjoyed very much. I

had a go again 10 years ago and,

aer a lot of failed experiments,

nally worked out how to

hand-print onto fabric.

What inspires you?

When I rst started printing

and designing I was very much

inspired by my Asian roots.

However, having lived in

England for almost 15 years, I

think my work is now a fusion

of both. Eric’s legacy of wood

engraving and printing is

always present through Ben’s

family and I love English folk

art. When out walking my two

dogs, I spend time looking at

plant life, then come back to

my studio to draw and carve.

When you’re a foreigner, even

stinging neles are beautiful!

Talk us through your process

It’s a simple method of drawing

directly onto lino, carving the

motif, then inking up the block

and printing onto fabric. My

CLOCKWISE

FROMTOPA lino-

cutleafreadyto be

printed;Kiranuses

thesimpletechnique

of inkingupcarved

motifsthenhand-

printingthemonto

fabric;rollsof leaf-

printpaper;Kiran at

workin herstudio.

‘My work is now a fusion of my

Asian roots and English ora...

When you’re a foreigner, even

stinging neles are beautiful!’

40 Homes & Antiques August 2019

Meet the Maker KIRAN RAVILIOUS