Ali Pickard

Fine artist using craft techniques to make history and story-based sculptures. I mix metalwork with embroidery and automata with textiles.

Q&A

Artist Statement

I trained in Metal Art as part of a women into non-traditional skills project in Edinburgh, where I spent many years as part of a Women’s Welding Collective, creating intricate and time-consuming sculptures and bespoke furniture.

I like to melt hot metal, and embroider delicate fabric, tell stories, create characters, and make things move. I’m interested in history and modernity, which stories get to be told, and who is telling the tale, both within fiction and society.

Now based in North Wales, I works with craft techniques within fine-art sculptures and like to mix wood and metal with fabric, spending many hours hand-embroidering or welding tiny pieces of metal to create texture, or tell a story.My artist name is The Yaffingale, which is an archaic name for the green woodpecker.

What craft do you work with?

I now work with automata, embroidery and metalwork. I originally trained in metalwork but have since taught myself textile and automata skills to mix a variety of materials and techniques.

What inspires you to work with this craft?

I’m interested in telling stories through art, and use craft and automata techniques to capture attention. Mixing techniques and materials mean I can tell more stories.

How do you start your creative process?

I often use historical research as a starting point. My work goes through a lot of process and experimentation with different techniques for each work to find what works best. I love to mix different materials. The hardest part is making mechanics work with textiles and other materials.

How would you best describe your workspace and what tools could you not do without?

I have different work spaces set up for metalwork, textile and mixed media work. I couldn’t do without my magnifier for embroidery and my small scale welder.

Are there new techniques you would like to try?

I would love to learn more textile art techniques.

What have you learnt or the best advice you have received that you would like to share with fellow crafters?

You just have to keep on making, putting in the hours in the workshop, and turning ideas into practise.