Artist's Corner - Hayley McCrirrick - Artist
Hayley McCrirrick is a Scottish artist working with textiles. She established her studio in 2018 and since then has shown work in London, Edinburgh and Paris, also completing various commercial and private commissions in the U.K and USA.
What does a normal day in the studio look like for you?
I begin by catching up on commissioned work, usually mixing dyes and preparing my materials. I try to allow myself some time to experiment towards the end of the day, without pressure to produce finished work. I finish up my day with a walk around the loch, which helps me to unwind before I head home.
You use natural materials to inform your work on cloth and paper. Can you tell us a little about your process when creating a piece?
I am very much inspired by the materials in their most natural, untarnished form. So, the texture, colour and materiality will often inspire how I approach a new artwork or collection. I work intuitively and never know how a piece will turn out. I like to play with scale, often cutting a larger piece into two or three pieces, Or sectioning into panels.
At Begg x Co we are endlessly inspired by our surroundings in Ayr. How does Scotland influence and inspire your works?
Growing up in Scotland and exploring its dramatic, yet quiet landscape has always been a great source of calm to me. I hope to translate this in my work and create pieces that feel intrinsically linked to this landscape and mediative in quality.
Do you have any advice for aspiring artists?
I really think persistence is key! As an artist you are always evolving and developing ideas, it can be mentally exhausting at times, but I think it is important to just keep producing work, good and bad! It is also important to network with other artists and share ideas as it can get lonely.
Like your works of art, our accessories, interiors, and knitwear pieces are crafted using the finest natural materials, here in our mill in Scotland. Do you have a favourite piece from our collection?
It has to be the Begg x Co Bi-colour beanies... I love the striking colour contrast!
Do you have any exciting upcoming projects you can tell us about?
This year I have been lucky to be able to work on a number of large-scale residential commissions, which allowed me to go full-time in the studio. For the rest of the year, I plan to focus on developing my own work, in particular colour. I’ve also started working on some new drawings which I hope to translate onto cloth in the coming months.