Raw Talent

9th January - 21st February 2010

‘Raw Talent’ will showcase the amazing collection of work by the Rawling Family, bringing together creativity and fun at Walford Mill Crafts in Wimborne, Dorset. Keith, Tiggy, and their sons Nic and William bring their great talents and years’ worth of experience together for the first time in a special family exhibition.

Keith Rawling trained at the Berkshire College of Art and began work in the advertising and publishing world. He went freelance in 1969 and specialised in book-jacket design. Using a variety of techniques, he began illustrating the books themselves. Keith worked on English Language Teaching books and won the award for Classroom Book of the Year. Keith was then ‘found’ by The Walt Disney Studios and recognised as having the talent to draw and illustrate in many different styles. He trained at both the Disney and Warner Bros. studios, and went on to illustrate many books and publications, along with character merchandising with all the characters from the classic films, such as Snow White, Jungle Book, Aladdin, and The Lion King. He continued illustrating, not only for Disney but many of the well-known characters that appear on TV. Since Toy Story, his skills with a pencil, brush and airbrush were not required as much, so he taught himself to do the same work on an Apple Mac. Currently he works for many major high-street brands as a designer, illustrator and photographer.

“I enjoy the challenge of a new discipline, and a moving target is more difficult to hit.” Keith Rawling

Tiggy Rawling’s big break into arts and crafts came when she took the City and Guilds course at Walford Mill. This course released a hidden talent and great enthusiasm for textiles. Quilting is her passion, and she has now progressed on to dying and creating textiles to include in her work. Her love of colour and now famous love of India have been combined to produce some stunning work, which has a different dimension from traditional quilts. Her enthusiasm is evident in the workshops and talks she gives worldwide.

Nic Rawling trained at Shelley Park and got his fine art degree at Kent Institute of Art and Design. Always interested in sketching, he has filled countless books with observations. After university he worked in various jobs and then moved into his Dad’s studio, working alongside him for four years. Designing children’s products on computers wasn’t really “his thing” and he wanted to go his own way. It was then he started tinkering with the idea of real-time animation, out of which came the Paper Cinema. Using his own drawings Nic cuts out hundreds of images, which he projects onto a large screen. With the backing of live musicians, he creates stories that both intrigue and amuse. Success at Glastonbury and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals and Battersea Arts Centre has led to touring success around Europe, with more planned for the next year.

William Rawling is a natural designer, but being the youngest member of the family he saw everything that goes with being an artist and decided it wasn’t for him. He got his BSc at Bristol University where he trained with the UAS. He is now a pilot for British Airways. Not to be out-done though, he suggested that he might put forward some photos taken from his ‘studio’ at 37,000 feet.

The Rawling Family will show their remarkable works of arts and crafts at Walford Mill, Wimborne, Dorset, from January 9th until February 21st.

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