carole dawber M.A., B.A.(hons), F.R.S.A.
I was incredibly privileged to study for my degree in Fashion & Textiles at Liverpool Art School in the 1970's. It was magical!!! All I did all day was draw and paint, work with fabric, design clothes, create by taking risks and have fun. The most inspiring artists, tutors, musicians and friends whom I remember with great affection and gratitude, surrounded me. It was awesome. There were no limits to imagination, you just did. I meet such amazing people, all of whom just loved creativity for the idea of invention.
The 70’s was a mesmerising with all aspects of the arts and music a kaleidoscope of inspiration giving me a cultural foundation that has lasted a life-time. I swayed my way in fox furs with Roxy music and pretended to have safety pins through my nose in Eric's club to the Sex Pistols. And yet through all this 'living' managed to win a few design plaudits along the way. Best of all I was awarded a lifetime Royal Society of Arts Fellowship for research into fabric dying from natural sources in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee year. Had my final collection shown in Dickens and Jones in Regent Street and had some great press reviews about my work including a Times editorial. I loved every minute.
I went on to develop my own label in the eighties 'Pierrot Pearls' which included both 'ready to wear' and clientele couture in the North West.
I returned to Liverpool Poly as a tutor in the late eighties and once again loved that environment all over again, with the best students (and staff) in the UK. As I fulltime tutor I maintained my own design profile through exhibiting textiles for commercial conversion at 'Indigo' in Paris twice a year. Colour and texture where vital and most of my pieces were based around embellished knit. Best sale ever was to Yves Saint Laurent Couture!!!!!
My love of fabric, texture, thread and colour has been with me throughout my career journey and now that I have gone full circle and am back producing my own work, it is even more essential. I have returned to drawing and painting as the foundation for my textile developments, revisited how colour affects the viewer and more importantly reverted to the hand-stitch rather than the machine to represent the expression of nature that inspires me.
Currently I am actively involved with several art groups within the Northwest of England.