Born 1970, Wellingborough, England
Being inspired by paint-by-numbers may seem a bit lowbrow for high art. But it didn't stop Andy Warhol and doesnt stop Rowena Dring in being so. Cleverly combining textile craftmanship with painting and photography, Dring succeeds in finding a midway between decoration, figuration and abstraction. She works from photographs taken during her travels, often finding the same subjects as the impressionists did. It is no wonder all of her works look like paintings on first sight, the composition and colour schemes all have a very painterly feel to them. Only when taking a closer look do the black stitches become visible, instantly transforming what is thought to be a figurative landscape into a colourful quilt. Like Seurat, Dring uses the way our brain tries to make sense of the things we see to achieve this powerfull effect.
