Behind the Inspiration a crop of a silhoutte illustration against a marbled blue pink and purple background. An adult woman and two young girls sit around a book, a pile of books to their right says thank you jan pienkowski 1936 - 2022

How I came to love silhouettes

February 24, 2022

Thank You Jan Pieńkowski (1936 - 2022) by Jess Taylor aka Loadofolbobbins

It was with a very heavy heart that I heard the news in the week that the incredible illustrator Jan Pieńkowski had passed away, one of my earliest and most abiding memories is my sister and I being read to by my mum from the fantastic Joan Aiken books 'A Necklace of Raindrops' and 'The Kingdom Under the Sea'. The incredible illustrations by Jan Pieńkowski, beautifully placed throughout these two books, had me absolutely entranced and were my first understanding of something truly magical. My illustration above is my homage and thank you to an incredible artist who has had an indelible and powerful influence on who I grew into as an artist.

Classic Literature Wuthering Heights Embroidery by Jess Taylor aka Loadofolbobbins

Classic Literature Collection by Jess Taylor aka Loadofolbobbins

Even after making my first classic literature inspired embroidery piece (Wuthering Heights pictured above) for a competition run by the Bronte Parsonage Museum back in 2012 it took me a year or so to realise that it was this early experience of the work of Jan Pieńkowski that had helped instill in me such a love for silhouettes.

Mini Movie Moments by Jess Taylor aka Loadofolbobbins

Hand Embroidered Silhouette Necklaces by Jess Taylor aka Loadofolbobbins

Another honourable mention that cannot be missed when talking of my love for silhouettes is the incredible Wayang Kulit Javanese shadow puppet performance I was lucky enough to see as a child, the advantage of having a mum who works in the arts!