Richard Preston textile art
Talented Canadian artist from Toronto Richard Preston has been experiencing artistically throughout his life. In the creative gallery of the artist there are beautiful art works of painting, sculpture, mixed media, textile, bead, photography, printmaking, text, music and performance. His fascination with texture and shape is in series “West Coast Jacket”, which he began in 1979 after a hitch-hiking trip across Canada. In fact, a fundamental aspect of the work is the promotion of demilitarization. And a series “stratigraphy” is devoted to geology. Meanwhile, with ribbons, threads and beads, the artist tried to show different periods of his work, as well as layers of different rocks of the earth tells the story of its formation.

In 1979, this long-haired guy named Richard Preston began to establish West Coast Jacket – the first in a series of military jackets. Beading or embroidering them, he creates a different story or abstract paintings. In particular, Army clothing, beautifully embroidered with the sun, clouds, scattering stars, river flows, and flowers, including a lush pink wreath on the head of the skeleton. Symbolizing death, covered with designs with a touch of psychedelic aesthetics, the work makes a strong and rather contradictory impression. In addition, each jacket turnes into an originally impersonal thing – in a unique and truly conceptual object.

Preston, working with new material, draws attention to global problems, in particular, demilitarization. And he does not limit himself by the narrow direction in art, trying himself as a painter, sculptor, designer, photographer, writer, actor, musician … One of his hobbies was working with beads, and for nearly thirty years he created original stuff, filled with real ethnic motifs and vibrant energy of the author.

Richard Preston textile art

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