Treld Pelkey Bicknell is a London-based American artist with a huge range of experience, and interests across many fields – as painter, writer, teacher and publisher. She took her first degree in Fine Art in New York in the 1960s and ~ after a long career in teaching and publishing ~ completed an MA in Drawing As Process in London in 2007.
She taught Illustration and Serigraphy at St Martins School of Art in the late 60s/early 70s and was Special Projects Advisor to Camberwell School of Art in the 70s; since then she has lectured on Illustration and Book Design at many leading art schools and universities. A lifelong collector, she joined the late Mel Calman to establish Workshop 2 (1977~1981), a mail-order extension of his famous Illustration Gallery, The Workshop.
Her work is eclectic; full of variety and experimentation ~ the style often dictated by the subject itself. “As I get older, I am more and more intrigued by those things which influenced and shaped my notions of the world. Memory plays a crucial role in everything I do…”
Materials are also important. “I work with a wide range of materials and techniques, both old and new: inks, watercolour, wax, salt, graphite and organic material ~ along with metallic leafs and paints ~ on papers of all kinds, from handmade rag and delicate oriental washi to sturdy brown wrapping paper. I work in 2-D and, occasionally, in high-relief collages ~ a kind of sculptural 2 1/2-D”.
“Art is a way of recognising oneself” – so said Louise Bourgeois, that wise artist-sage. I believe it is true. I also believe that Art is the basis for a life of fulfilment – if not happiness!