Artist
Isabelle Hayman
Isabelle Hayman is a French artist based in London. She trained as a textile designer at the ESAA Duperré Paris, followed by a Master of Fine Arts from Paris. She worked in Indonesia as a textile designer, before moving to London 20 years ago. Isabelle has crafted a very unique aesthetic which is entirely self-taught. She has exhibited at Paul Smith internationally, and is about to be a part of an exhibition at Compton Verney Gallery this summer. 
Isabelle's Style
Isabelle's work often focuses on the diversity of the female figure, drawing portraits using simple lines - reminiscent of ancient Egyptian drawings or carvings. The eyes, the mouth and profile become graphic icons in her work. Her portraits are both touching and playful. Always working in series and repeating motifs and figures, dreamed up in her head, she creates visual puzzles, expressing the female complexity.
Through her imagined subjects, she attempts to depict the non-visible. Isabelle uses ink as her main medium, balancing between precise lines and the unpredictability of using ink - which can often bleed out onto the page, depending on the different absorption of the paper. Her work was recently selected by Paul Smith to be exhibited in his boutiques around Europe, touring from Paris, to London, to Hamburg and finally Amsterdam.
"I've imagined a series of eccentric beetles wearing their best outfit for a party. The beetles are decorated with a cocktail of different patterns, inspired by motifs taken from wax cloth, antique embroidery, Indian block print forming a puzzle of eclectic patterns and colours evoking a textile patchwork piece created by a cunning textile collector. The giant size of the beetles, allows us to see the multiple details formed by the patterns and colours, reminding us of the complexity and fragility of nature." - Isabelle Hayman
Drop 5 - Winter 2020
"I found the notebook in an antique market. If I remember it was a disappointing day looking for antiques, and at the end I found this stand selling vintage notebooks and bought a few. The one I have used is dated 1908, it is a German vocabulary notebook, belonging to a woman, the paper quality is still amazing, the cover is mock leather. The blue silhouettes are painted with blue ink. I wanted to express a kind of boldness and happiness very similar to dancing." - Isabelle Hayman
Drop 4 - Autumn 2020
“I am fascinated by the history of ceramics because it is usually the work of someone highly trained using ancestral techniques as well as its own creativity. I collect vintage books on ceramic as well as vintage auction house catalogues, it is fascinating to delve into collections built along the years by one individual.
Chinese porcelain has had a huge influence on European porcelain, when the first samples were brought back from the East India company. I have chosen 2 examples of "Famille verte" porcelain tea pots. The 3 drawings of plates are Kraak Chinese porcelain, blue motifs, with a large border divided into segments. This style can also be found in Japan and Iran.”- Isabelle Hayman, Chinese Porcelain Series
Drop 3 - High Summer 2020
"This is a collection about swimming and enjoying the freedom of being near the water. I love being on the beach and watching people, families together, it is a time to reconnect." - Isabelle Hayman
