Quiet Resistance, Remembered

Returning to surface pattern design after a hiatus, I wasn't sure what would emerge. What came surprised me: two pieces born from quiet observation rather than deliberate research. Sometimes it's not the big things that make an impact, but the little things instead.

The Handmaid's Tale was airing at the time, and those distinctive bonnets were everywhere—billboards, print media, fleeting glimpses as I moved through my day. I never watched the show or read the book, but their world seeped in anyway through that quiet exposure. The angular shapes of those bonnets, so striking and strange, lodged themselves somewhere in my creative subconscious. As I designed The Handmaid's Ace of Spades, the resistance told in their stories came to light—abstracted into scattered shapes against black, red and white wings thrown like cards across a table.

Around that same time, Remembrance Sunday was approaching. Poppies weren't demanding attention, but they were there—a quiet permeation of red entering my horizon as the time to remember drew near. Collective memories are always interesting things to bear witness to.

Bloody Poppy emerged from that space of subconscious observation. Bold, unapologetic florals honouring those who fought and allowed me to enjoy the peace I enjoy today. We will always remember the past, where we came from, and where we are now going.

These two designs mark my return to the craft—proof that creativity often works in whispers, not shouts.

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