Richard Harrison

ALICE AT THE LIBRARY

THE CHESHIRE CAT…ALICE AT THE MAD TEA PARTY…

THE MARCH HARE….TWEEDLE DUM AND TWEEDLE DEE.

All iconic figures written by Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson)

and illustrated by Sir John Tennial, a political cartoonist.

Alice and the Caterpillar

Alice Meets Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee

Big Alice

Cheshire Cat

Mad Tea Party

I was always impressed by the strong and varied use of line in

Tennial’s work which showed such expressiveness. I began studying

and drawing some Alice in Wonderland illustrations on paper when my

sister Kathy suggested working on fabric instead. She would use a

technique called trapunto which would give the fabric a low relief,

three dimensional effect. This she would use to create wall hangings,

pillows and soft sculptures.

I began experimenting using various media on the fabric — markers,

acrylic paints, etching, photo silk screen, and mixed media. We

eventually brought our work to a crafts gallery in New York City where

they were very successful. When Kathy’s career demanded more

time I coerced my mother Helen, to take over the fabric sewing and

design. She was very hesitant at first but ended up succeeding very

well.

After ten years work with Alice art we decided to move on to the next

phase of each of our lives. Today both Helen and Kathy are no longer

with us and I am dedicating this exhibit to them.

Richard Harrison was an art teacher at George Fischer School for

twenty five years.