Spotlight on the maker:

Fiona McTaggart

Creator and business owner, Fiona McTaggart, kindly talked to AUTHOR about the company and providing us with an understanding of her creative process which is a meticulous exploration of nature’s intricate forms and qualities.

Fiona, a Dorset-based artist and surface pattern designer is driven by a passion and profound connection with the environment.

Where did your passion for making your wallpaper come from?

I’ve always represented nature in my Art. Even as a Fine Art undergraduate, my paintings explored the quality of light, growth and decay. As an Art teacher I developed a love of process-based practice and revelled in the opportunities that new schemes of work presented.

I undertook a Masters in Illustration, and working within the parameters of my circumstances, collage became my preferred medium for making. I would find my inspiration in the daily experiences with my children – cooking, gardening, adventures in the outdoors. I would then use my time while they were at school to prepare my hand-painted papers. Once they were tucked up in bed, I would make my observational collages from objects and photos collected.

As my repertoire of collage natural forms grew, I began to see just how effective they were all together and this is where I began to make my patterns. Utilising digital media to play around and make seamless patterns, became the final process I needed to take things forward into a product.

Were you always interested in creating things from childhood?

From as far as I can remember, I drew. I always preferred drawing from life, rather than my imagination. It wasn’t until I started teaching that I harnessed my creativity, and this came in the form of devising schemes of work.

My art education had been very narrow, not realising the diversity of art practice available to me. Teaching opened this world for me and now I definitely have a much wider horizon! I love engaging in 3D construction, transforming cardboard into vehicles, dolls’ houses or games machines with my children.

How did your business start?

My business is still very much in its infancy as I have invested in developing a rich portfolio. In recent months, this has turned into a wide range of wallpapers and fabric designs, and I am very much ready to introduce my business to the world of surface pattern design.

Amazing work! Where do you draw your inspiration from for your pieces?

Nature, children… children in nature!

Everything I do relates to my experience with my children and my desire to raise them in a wholesome way, connected with nature.

What is your favourite part of the making process?

I enjoy every aspect of my making process. As a result of there being multiple stages, when one aspect becomes tedious, I change to another, and oscillating between the different stages keeps practice fresh and interesting.

Sometimes I just need a mental break, and this is when hand painting my paper comes to my rescue. The process of doing this is relatively straightforward – dropping ink into wet paper and seeing the different hues and tones evolve is very therapeutic. Equally, using a squeegee to spread paint across the paper is a lot of fun with beautiful textural qualities emerging.

Often timing plays an important part. I enjoy the peace and quiet in the evenings. I sit in a sea of my hand painted paper and take care to build my collages, layer by layer. This uninterrupted time is golden!

Equally as rewarding is when I open a parcel containing new fabrics or wallpapers. At this point I feel like a child in a sweetie shop!

Where do you source the materials to make your pieces?

I prepare my collage papers using cartridge paper, drawing inks and acrylic paints and use a UK printing company called Contrado to print my fabric and wallpaper.

That’s brilliant. What do you love about working in the UK and any thoughts on British Design?

I am very pleased with the opportunities that I have had in the UK. There was a time when I felt I would never reconnect with my own practice, but I think that the career development opportunities through teaching helped me greatly to do this.

I remember attending an NSEAD conference and being opened to the possibility of dual practice – teaching and art practice. I followed this up with undertaking a Master’s in art education, that was part-funded by the NSEAD and supported Artist Teachers. This sparked the beginning of my search for dual practice and a love of life-long learning.

Fast forward a few years, and two children later, I seized an opportunity to engage with study again, alongside motherhood and teaching.

As for British design, where would we be without the influence of William Morris and the Arts and Crafts movement? As I make patterns now, I recall the rich Liberty Poppy pattern that adorned our sofas in my childhood home.

Do you have any particular design heroes or other makers your work has been influenced by?

I have so many influences from the collages of Eric Carl to those of the English 18^th Century artist, Mary Delany. I have always loved the markmaking in the painting of Peter Doig and Gerhard Richter. As for design, the intricate patterns of William Morris have been very inspirational, as have some more contemporary patterns I have come across, such as the ‘Forest’ wallpaper design from Cole & Son.

Any upcoming projects/pieces you’re working on that you’d like to tell us about?

I take my family to Croatia every year. My mother is Croatian, and father Scottish, and I grew up experiencing both landscapes and cultures. My next project is to produce patterns based on my heritage – nostalgic smells, colours, and foliage. I have taken many photos of fig trees, grape vines, Aniseed, Japanese Cheeswood and Wild Carrot. I’m excited to embark on making these collages and seeing where they take me.

I am also collaborating on a book project, as its illustrator. It’s very much in its infancy and top secret for now, but also very exciting, so watch this space!

That sounds fantastic! Any final words about joining the AUTHOR fold?

SHOP FIONA MCTAGGART PIECES: