Meet the Maker: Cressida Bell
Cressida Bell is a British designer specialising in textiles and interiors. From her London studio, she produces a wide range of products including accessories for men and women, and artefacts for the home. Our commercial team sat down with Cressida to get to know the maker and the inspiration behind her beautiful products.
Can you walk me through the highlights of your creative process?
Pattern is at the heart of my work, and my inspiration comes from many quarters. I use a camera to record images that grab me, or I refer to art books and galleries.
These images then translate into drawings and paintings in my sketchbook. These are all tiny thumbnail images which gradually take shape as a finished works on paper.
Back in the day, I used the old-school squaring-up method to enlarge the thumbnails, in order to produce full-sized coloured artworks. Nowadays I usually scan the sketches into my pc and work on them further in this digital medium.
Staying true to yourself is really important – and I have a very strong sense of what I do and don’t like. So despite the many distinctive cultural references in my work, the final design is always an entirely personal interpretation: one which is recognisably ‘me’.
Did you have any inspiration for the greeting cards' design?
The card I created for the Courtauld came about after a consultation with their team.
We discussed incorporating a ‘Bloomsbury’ theme, giving a nod to my Bloomsbury heritage. (Vanessa Bell was my grandmother and Quentin Bell my father.) Although I generally steer clear of this I came up with the idea of a ‘tablescape’ using patterned bowls and plates reminiscent of designs by Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant.
I then looked into which of the many festive goodies associated with Christmas were the most visually appealing. Turkey and all the trimmings did not exactly fit the bill so I designed some pretty iced biscuits and fancy chocolates to adorn the pottery.
Finally I wrapped the whole thing up with a festive ribbon and a (currently fashionable) bow.
What do you value most about the collaboration with the Courtauld?
It has been really great being involved with the Courtauld as I have many family connections with the Institute.
My mother (Anne Olivier Popham) studied art history there from 1934 to 1937 under Anthony Blunt and worked in the Institute’s Conway Library.
On my father’s side, the Courtauld holds one of the most extensive collections of works by artists from the Bloomsbury Group including works by my grandmother Vanessa Bell.
So, I feel that working with the Courtauld is a natural fit for me and am delighted that the shop not only stocks my cards but my table linen too.