Work in Progress: Mandy Pattullo


Where the history of the artist and the subject intertwine.

"I am progressing well with the development of “Daphne’s Glove”. I had a break to read parts of the diaries that belonged to the other Daphne. 19th April 1959 was her 21st birthday so I now know that my subject was a young woman which is the perfect match for the virginal gloves. I am scanning some pages in and then working on them in photoshop, turning them red to pick up the red theme derived from the cash’s name labels and then printing them out on to linen. The diaries I am extracting bits from are all late 1950s and early 1960s and Daphne would surely have had plenty of gloves of the type I have received to wear for her constant social engagements (girls did wear gloves then – think “An Education” the film based on Lynn Barber’s life and Audrey Hepburn films). She appears to have gone to the theatre some times twice a week, to the cinema, to church and to dances. I have much in common with her in that she seems to have breakfast in bed most days, likes shopping, reads a lot, listens to the radio and rearranges and tidies her room. I have deduced from entries in the 1960s that she was a teacher (so am I) but appears to have had time to knit at lunchtimes. Times have changed!
The entry I am most interested in is 22nd March 1957 the day I was born. She got up very late, did a little light housework and spent most of the day reading then an early tea before going out to see “Emma”. She seems to have had a bad knee. My mother was going through a very long and arduous delivery of me at the time…As the doctor left the house after my birth he received an injury from a falling house tile.
I am still developing collages on to the blind embossed glove “ pages “ and the one you see here brings together Daphne and me on that auspicious date. Interesting to note how the back of my hand embroidery and the back of the cash’s name label have also something in common."
Reverse of Cash's name tape
Reverse of Mandy Pattullo's piece on linen