Ailish Henderson: From conception to creation

Sorting through old photos and collections of personal memorabilia is key to Ailish Henderson’s process, allowing her to recall memories of family, travels and life experiences. And the personal connections she uncovers can inspire ideas for new work.

Ailish’s artworks grow from a collection of playful sketchbook drawings and mood boards inspired by her photographs. Mixing textile, collage and stitch is key to her process. First, she develops her drawings into completed compositions on paper. Then she uses these designs as the basis for a series of mixed media portraits.

Ailish extends the depth and meaning of her work by stitching pieces of clothing, tickets and other treasured items into her work.

Creating stitched and collaged portraits is part of Ailish’s ongoing research into the connection between emotional repair and making. Through her work, she is able to investigate the effect of past life experiences and family stories on her current state. Strong memories formed during childhood, perhaps only coming to light decades later, can take on new meaning and be understood.

Read on to discover how Ailish developed one of her favourite artworks, Pistachio Smiles.

Memories of the lone traveller

How did the idea for the piece come about?

Ailish Henderson: Pistachio Smiles is one of my favourite pieces a body of work called Stitched Portrait Collages. These works are all mixed media textile pieces.

The portraits grew from recalled memories of my travels and various life events, as well as looking through photographs and collected memorabilia. These were not always happy times, but by using these experiences as inspiration for my work, I began to make sense of the emotions they triggered.

This series of work became very important to me, leading to many opportunities for further development projects, lectures and workshops.

What research did you do first?

I started by looking through my photograph albums. As a lone traveller, I had taken many selfie photogs even before it became a big trend. Mostly, they were images taken at landmarks and in cities like Paris.

In these photographs, I viewed myself as a character within a story. Simply a figure in a landscape, rather than ‘me’, the person.

I began to isolate parts of the images, taking them out to study and draw. Along with the visual imagery documenting my travels, I drew on memories, as well as sorting through my assembled collections of travel memorabilia.

Playful drawing & painting

Was there any other preparatory work?

While preparing for this piece, I gravitated towards my fine art skills and my love of watercolours and the drawn line.

Much of my preparatory work begins by making playful drawings in the pages of my sketchbook and enhancing them with watercolour paints.

From these ideas, I began to create finished compositions on paper. Then I used these completed drawings as visual aids for my mixed media and fabric stitched portraits.

How do you use materials to give your work personal meaning?

I tend not to categorise my practice by the media I use, rather I see my work as ‘narrative art’. I see my work simply as a representation of myself. And as part of this philosophy, I love to incorporate fragments of items with personal meaning.

I keep and re-use items of clothing that I have a particularly deep connection with. I am a sentimental person and if I have an emotional memory associated with an item, then I will save it. I rifle through my collections and choose items relating to the piece I am making.

Ephemera also play their part in my work. I often include paper items, such as receipts and tickets from my travels. My collages also feature Irish linen, which refer back to my birthplace.

Personal elements

Take us through the creation of the piece…

To create depth of meaning, as well as surface depth, I choose to work with items connected to myself. The mixed media elements of this work include fragments of my own clothing, with paper-based items from my travels and experiences woven through. I connected these together using hand stitch.

The clothing fragments I used in Pistachio Smiles are from old garments that I’ve kept boxed up for many years. These include pieces from my baby dresses. The eye area holds a piece of a top that I wore on the trip that inspired the piece. Other fragments were placed throughout, wherever the colour and pattern worked best.

The paper items I used include tickets from the Paris Métro system, museum passes, even chocolate wrappers and the odd croissant wrapper or coffee packet, too. They are ripped up and used throughout, again placed according to their colour.

In some areas I drew and painted directly onto the cloth, to build depth in the portrait layers.

I used my needle and thread to ‘draw’, in an intuitive way. Most of Pistachio Smiles is hand embroidered. Sometimes I use a sewing machine to add specific details. But I much prefer to stitch by hand, and have a direct connection between hand and cloth. This allows me to connect with the piece, and control the stitches better.

I think this comes down to the perfectionist in me. I like to be in control of everything. I feel that hand embroidery gives a true reflection of the maker. Each stitch is fed with emotion.

I backed the finished piece with white Irish linen, to acknowledge my birthplace, and stretched it over a linen box canvas, ready for wall-mounting.

At the time it was finished, I did not rate this piece as having any more worth than the other stitched portraits that I had created. But since then, it has become a real favourite, not only for myself, but for others who observe my work.

How have you developed this work further?

I truly treasure the original piece. It has gathered much acclaim at solo exhibitions and other events. But I wanted to find a method of cataloguing my work for posterity. I found that, by using digital formats, my work can be recorded and shared with a larger audience.

In order to develop designs and make repeat patterns for printing onto any surface, I scan my work into the computer. I also taught myself how to use graphic design software to manipulate the image. Using these designs, I created my own line of interiors and fashion items, including a digitally printed scarf featuring Pistachio Smiles.

In addition, my family treated me to a photoshoot to create a digital catalogue of my work. This made sure that I had high quality images of the work, to take to clients and galleries. A professional photoshoot is an investment I would highly recommend. The shoot itself became a form of art, another way of communicating the narrative of my work.

What journey has the piece been on since its creation?

This piece was been featured in Daphnes’ Diary, Embroidery magazine and Embellish magazine.

This work was exhibited by the Society for Embroidered Work, at Palazzo Velli Expo during Rome Art Week in 2021. I was fortunate to be able to visit this exhibition myself. A joyful event, this trip also proved to be a form of emotional repair, as it put to bed memories related to the underlying meaning behind the piece.

Pistachio Smiles and my stitched portrait collages have become the backbone of my career. In my teaching, I continue to guide others how to use their own memories, whether negative or positive, within their art, enabling them to repair and enhance themselves at the same time.

Key takeaways

• Have a look through your collections of photographs and memorabilia. These could become a great source of inspiration and a way to bring narrative elements into your work.
• Creating work inspired by memories can mental health benefits by helping you to make sense of emotional moments in your life.
• Relax and enjoy some time painting and drawing. Make playful drawings and doodles in a sketchbook. These creations can be developed into more detailed ideas later.
• Stitch fragments of treasured ephemera into your artworks, like as concert tickets, travel documents, or pieces of clothing. These will give added depth and meaning to the piece.
• For a fresh approach, try scanning a finished piece and manipulating the resulting images on the computer to create a new outcome.

Ailish Henderson is a narrative artist and tutor. She has exhibited in the UK and internationally and has held four solo exhibitions. She is the author of Narrative Textiles, 2024, published by Batsford Books. Her work has been featured in numerous magazines, including Selvedge, Embroidery and Embellishment.

Website: www.ailishhenderson.com
Instagram: @ailish_h_

Have you ever stitched keepsakes into your work? Let us know by leaving a comment below.