Meet the Maker- Joanne Lamb

This week we’re featuring Joanne Lamb, London based Irish artist who specialises in woven textiles, often incorporating basketry techniques to create unique one off artworks.

We first met Joanne many years ago when she moved to London from Belfast looking to make her mark on a larger creative scene. We worked at the same brand for a window of time within her successful fifteen-year career in textile design.

Today, Joanne has truly evolved and is launching herself creatively, emerging as an artist and maker with a focus on hand-crafted objects that are inspired by her experiences of the natural world.

“Driven by the desire to connect with and preserve the beauty of nature, by tuning into the cycles and seasons I hope to communicate what the planet has given us and inspire a deeper appreciation of the natural world. I am fascinated by the skill, imagination and knowledge of humans that have come before me to make beautiful objects with plants. Through weaving, twining, bending and dyeing. I am in constant dialogue with the natural materials while I create.”

Last time we caught up with Joanne she was in the process of completing a Masters in Textiles at the Royal College of Art in 2023. Having this concentrated period of study she says, helped her develop a way of working and approach her craft.

“When I went back to college after 15 years away from a loom, I’d been away from weaving for so long that I assumed I’d spend all my time in the loom room catching up on lost time. However, the desire and the challenge of going 3D captivated me more in the end so I began using my own intuition to explore my personal version of basketry. I want to create work based on my experiences and making instincts - creating for myself and then sharing this with others. Hopefully it’s then enjoyed by other people too and it provides them with a moment to be in nature through the work.“

We had a mini Q&A with Joanne to learn more about her process, work and future plans…

Joanne, your work is so distinct and intricate, where did you learn to fuse the myriad of materials that you use?

It’s hard to pinpoint how and when it all came together but it definitely took time and a lot of experimentation during my MA to get my work to a particular level of finesse and skill that felt like I’d found my creative voice and making aesthetic. A great book called “Finding form with fibre” by Ruth Woods was an amazing introduction to the world of natural weaving and served as both an inspiration and education on how to get started with my own personal explorations.

“Through combining textile and basketry techniques together in my artworks, I have brought a textile language to expressive basketry. After creating a woven structure with tatami paper yarn using a mould, I then interlace textural yarns including wool, mohair and silk with tactile qualities to invite touch. These pieces directly connect to my experiences in nature, where colour and texture become tangible references to memory.” - Joanne Lamb

Are these materials difficult to source? They sound so rare and special.

Finding the tatami paper was such a breakthrough, I am completely obsessed! The texture, the kind of tension that it has; It’s been a discovery to see how I can push the boundaries with the forms I’m creating as I interlace this around a mould.

“I want my work to evoke a sense of being in nature, as if the vessels could be found amongst the flowers in a beautiful garden, before being placed on a mantlepiece to be treasured.”

Did you study the techniques to make the vessels, or did this come through trial and error?

I’m trying to paint with the yarns in an impressionistic way when making my vessels, so the techniques are quite loose and delicate. I love how the threads are not beaten into a fixed weave, allowed to slide up and down within the vessels, with light passing through. I want them to feel almost like watercolours.

Very excitingly, later this month you’ll be exhibiting at Future Icons Selects, during London Craft week, tell us more about that…
This show will feature the work of 50+ craft led artisans during London Craft Week which is a real celebration of exceptional craftsmanship and creativity from around the world. I’ll be creating new work which captures the transition from the winter months into spring, from darkness into the light.

Joanne Lamb, Moodboard

We love that concept, how have you tangibly translated it into your vessels?

First and foremost, I need to be outside experiencing nature and the seasons in order to create my unique woven vessels. I’ve been observing the gradual seasonal changes over the past 5 months and channelling this into the new baskets. I believe we all need to deepen our connection and emotional relationship with our environment, and this is my way of experiencing the beauty of nature which I can share with others. I'm trying to convey my impressions of nature in my artworks - the traces that I’ve been left with.

I record my experiences using a mixture of painting, creating yarn wraps and collages as well as photography, to channel the colours and textures I’ve observed, experienced, and remembered, creating a portrait of place and becoming more attuned to the seasonal shifts. Because of my previous career working as a textile designer, I have a confident and intuitive sense of colour, along with an attraction to typically textile materials which I haven’t seen used before in handmade baskets. Natural yarns such as wool which I use frequently, to me they feel as if they are from the land. Also, the softness and textured qualities that they have brings a warmth and tactility to the pieces.

I only use natural fibres covering tatami paper, protein and cellulosic fibres. I want to promote the benefits of nature in my pieces, so I’m drawn to softly textured, natural fibre yarns, especially wool, mohair, silk, nettle and alpaca. I naturally dye the yarns as well as gathering up deadstock and waste yarns so most of my vessels are not repeatable. I don’t need a lot of tools to create at the minute as most of my woven work is mostly off loom, weaving around moulds or using small tapestry frames.

“As long as I have nature, yarns and a needle I can make my artworks”

Are all vessels available for purchase? Are there any too special to part ways with?
Yes, I have a large collection of vessels which I’ll be exhibiting at Future Icons Selects during London Craft Week which are all available to purchase. I like to curate my baskets into groups so they can be viewed as small-scale installations - capturing a portrait of a place or of a particular season that I have experienced and want to preserve. I also work to commission and can respond to a client’s needs depending on the space they have, the colour palette or ideally if they have beautiful gardens or a favourite season which I can respond to.

I definitely have my favourites but I’m doing my best to document the work as much as possible so even if a cherished vessel goes to a new home, I can still keep a piece of it with me. But honestly the feeling of someone connecting with your creative explorations and seeing the beauty in it really is the best feeling in the world. I’m always so moved when anyone wants to purchase my work and I get a lot of pleasure seeing them in their new spaces. I’m especially curious to see how they are styled but the most important thing is that they are enjoyed.

We saw on your Instagram that you’ve hosted a few workshops. How can we get involved?

I have ideas - lots of ideas but when you’re a one-person operation it’s hard to fit it all in. A few months ago, I hosted a Plants & Pigments workshop where participants enjoyed the beauty of botanical inks and were mark-making using plants. I plan to organise more of these along with others related to connecting with your inner creativity through nature, so keep an eye on my Instagram account for updates.

Alongside Future Icons Selects, my other current project is that I’m planning an event with Craftspace in Birmingham later this month (22nd May) to facilitate a socially engaged workshop which is really exciting. I’ll be teaching participants expressive basketry and textile skills so they can then channel their own intuition and contribute to a communal artwork. Everyone is welcome to join as we collectively make a big expressive basket!

Long term I intend on establishing a regular series of craft classes to teach heritage textile skills locally which I hope will be subsidised by my local council. I would like to create a relaxed space for meaningful cultural exchange and learning, facilitating others to enjoy making through basketry and textiles, and motivating them to take themselves into nature spaces to inform their creativity. Spending time with people in a regular way I believe will lead to more meaningful engagement and positive change.

How do you see your studio/ vessels evolving? Do you have plans to play with scale, form, or new materials?

I want to continue learning new weaving skills whether they come from basketry or textile traditions to further explore form and structure. My current basketry skills are largely self-taught and so by continuing to learn new skills hopefully I can then creatively interpret these in my own way to allow my practice to evolve.

I would like to incorporate more natural materials such as dried flowers and grasses into the vessels themselves, and I’d love to start working with rush which has the most beautiful, varied tones within the leaves. I also have other aspirations for the making including going larger in scale as well as creating sculptural pieces for the wall.

Over the past nine months since graduating I have started selling my work to private clients and interior designers which is really amazing. I’ve secured my first gallery representation and I’ll be doing more exhibitions as well as hopefully partnering with interior designers and stylists in order to increase my profile and get my work seen. I’m really open to all opportunities which come my way as I navigate this new path.

Joanne Lamb: Bealtaine Collection

Despite the beauty of this photography, these vessels need to be seen up close and personal to be truly appreciated. We can’t wait to try and feature them in future styling projects.

You can meet Joanne, and see her work, along with many other creatives, at the upcoming Future Icons Selects, London Craft Week, Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, London 16-19th May 2024, Free entry

If you wish to learn more in the meantime you can visit her website here: www.joannelambstudio.co.uk or give her a follow on Instagram @joannelambstudio