Alice Voss
The Craft of Comfort and Taste

Alice Voss is a British artist who came to ´ace as part of her exploratory travels through South America. Since graduating with her Fine Art degree, she has developed textile craft skills that are more decorative, including traditional upholstery, patchwork, aplique and quilting.

In April 2024, Alice came to ´ace to have a focused period of time to develop her textile project in a supportive environment that nurtures ideas and discussions. During her time in South America, she focused on traditional crafts found within the region, which she then combined with painting to create a piece that explores comfort and taste.

In her own words: “I am interested in the comfort that can be found in domestic, or even public spaces, and how this comfort is created, which is often by an individual. It’s personal, it’s formed by how we inhabit our spaces, and the objects we choose to surround ourselves with. I’m interested in why we are drawn to the things we are. My project is to pose the question around what brings comfort to people, and what forms personal taste, and how the two are linked. I combine painting with traditional textile crafts as a response to this, that considers my current environment. Within my work I like to use bright contrasting colours that could be considered ‘garish’ or ‘tacky’, and I am interested in where this thought stems from. Beautiful bright, saturated colours are often found in landscapes, in bright blue skies that contrast rich greens, oranges and reds. Traditional craft or folk art designs are often inspired by nature, whether that’s the animals surrounding people, or the landscape. I am particularly drawn to the colours used within traditional folk art in Argentina, that to me mimic the rich colours found within the landscape, and I would like to incorporate this into my project.”