"Idea Store Learning Service” London Borough of Tower Hamlets

Over the lockdown, De Morgan has been working with different groups to inspire creativity, encourage learning, and relieve some of the tensions of the past year.

When William De Morgan’s ceramics business closed in 1904, he suffered badly with depression. His wife Evelyn encouraged him to begin writing and he went on to be a best-selling author at the age of 65. The positive impact of creativity on mental health and wellbeing cannot be underestimated. But it also has the additional benefit of producing beautiful things.

Hanelle Levine, Lead Tutor in Visual Arts at Idea Store Learning, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, taught the Arts and Crafts movement to her drawing and painting classes. Hanelle contacted Sarah Hardy, curator of the De Morgan Foundation who kindly delivered an art historical talk to the group. Students became even more inspired with their creative works and are delighted, at Sarah’s invitation, to share some of these completed artworks with the Foundation .

Jacqueline Reay

De Morgan Tiles

Pen and Ink, and watercolour on paper

I wanted to adapt the De Morgan red tiles and chose to draw with green ink to see if it altered the impact when viewed altogether. It is a much softer look than the red. The Isnik plate is drawn freehand and painted using watercolour.

Mandy Taylor

Mystical Ruby Creature

14.5x20cm

Acrylic

I tried to capture the spirit of De Morgan’s mystical Ruby Lustre themed tiles. So I painted this mystical creature with the arabesque pattern behind it and the Ruby coloured leaves and flowers.

John Carroll

Mystical Galleon

20 x 20 cm

watercolour

Based on William De Morgan’s ship tiles but incorporating his ‘mythical creatures’. When looking at the ship tiles, De Morgan adds a lot of detail that you don’t notice from a casual look. My artwork makes it a little more obvious!

Tom Lyddon

Galleon

24x22cm

Watercolour.

A very bright and breezy piece of art with its flying pennants and billowing sails by William De Morgan for The P&O Steamship Company.

Mandy Taylor

The Mystical Zebra

Dodo Inspired Tile

both 22 x 28 cm

Acrylic

As William De Morgan enjoyed painting mystical creatures, I thought I would do a mystical zebra. I loved the patterns and contrast of the black and white colours on a zebra.

I was inspired to do this Dodo tile as I loved the different blue tones and the flowing curved lines of the levers behind the Dodo.

Tuuli Lindburg

Pegasus and ‘The Twins’ inspired by William Morris’s unicorns

19 x 19 cm and 32 x 14 cm or individually 16 x 14 cm

Acrylic

I like to draw horses, and was inspired by this legend, a horse which brings luck to kings at war and us regular mortals as well, I hope.

I was fascinated by the legend about unicorns, creatures which bring luck in the war and are therefore favoured by kings.

Ali Hirst

Study Of Classical Drapery

30cm x 23cm

Charcoal and pastel on tinted paper.

Evelyn De Morgan’s studies of drapery are exquisite and inspired me to make a study of my own.
Current restrictions meant that I was unable to draw from life, as she would have done, so instead I chose to work from a photograph I had taken during a trip to the Palatine Museum in Rome.

Ali Hirst

Sea Dragon Tile

21cm x 21cm

Watercolour and gouache on handmade cotton rag paper.

I have long been inspired by all things oceanic. Studying William De Morgan’s Sea Dragon tile panel was the perfect opportunity to experiment with my own ideas for a ceramic tile design.
I particularly love the beautiful, blue swirling pattern he created for his ocean waves – a perfect backdrop for his regal sea horses and serpents.

My sea creature was loosely inspired by studies I had made of the weedy sea dragon which can found off the coast of southern and eastern Australia.

Jelena Rusina

Copy of tiles by William De Morgan

20x20cm Acrylic on canvas

Nature in Art Tiles with flowers.

Tom Lyddon

Bird

25 x 25 cm

Watercolour

I was intrigued by the design of this tile, the curves and arabesques . tiles depicting birds and mythical animals.

Tom Lyddon

Galleon

26 x 36 cm

Watercolour.

Inspired by a tile panel produced for the P&O Steamship Company by William De Morgan.

Sarah Paxton

Evelyn De Morgan

Pencil on paper

I was attracted to the radical ideas of Evelyn De Morgan and her beautiful paintings.

Jenny Vobes

Peacock tiles

21.5 x 33 cm

Watercolour, gouache, coloured pencil

My work is inspired by the peacock motif used by William de Morgan on dishes and tiles.

Pru Clements

Cows in Clover

26 x 26 cm

Watercolour

Inspired by William De Morgan’s ruby lustre I used a series of sketches of cows from a project, many years ago, at Trevego Farm in Cornwall.

Jenny Vobes

Kingfisher plate

26.5 x 26.5 cm

Gouache, watercolour

I was inspired by William de Morgan’s plates with a kingfisher motif

Ilenia Targhettini

Tricorn Tile

18 x 18 cm

Acrylic pens on ceramic

I was inspired by William De Morgan’ designs on luster tiles. I share his passion for fantastic creatures.

Ilenia Targhettini

Chameleons

18 x 25 cm

Watercolour on paper

I was inspired by William De Morgan passion for designing animals with a little bit of fun.

Janet Andrews

Interpretation of a de Morgan vase

40 x 29 cm

Acrylic

The shape of the vase is the same but I changed the colours from blue and green. I also changed some of the decoration from fish to a deer which I took from a de Morgan tile.

Jane Roberts

Medusa plate design

21 x 22 cm

Graphite pencil and watercolour

I wanted to make something that referred to both artists. I was intrigued by Evelyn de Morgan’s image of Medusa and by William’s bowl with coiled snake.
This image is not the final design as I wanted to try and make the face look more like Jane Burden.

Jane Roberts

Sketch for Gorgon Plate

13 x 14 cm

Pen, ink and watercolour over pencil

This is another take on the Medusa theme. I have been researching images of the Gorgons and I have tried to create a design that references both De Morgans.

Jane Roberts

Chinese Zodiac Tiles

18 x 27 cms

Gouache and watercolour with pencil ink and conte pastel

These tile designs are influenced by William de Morgan’s ceramics. I chose the Chinese Zodiac as a theme as we were studying his work at the time of the Chinese New Year.

Jane Roberts

Two studies for Gorgon Plate Design

21 x 29.5 cm

Watercolour, pen and ink and pencil on paper

This is page from my sketchbook showing some of the research and an idea for a ceramic design of Medusa and her sisters. I researched Ancient Greek and Roman collections at the British Museum for depictions of the Medusa myth inspired by item from the De Morgan collection.

Catherine Phillips

Mythical Bird Plate

10 cm diameter

Felt pens

I was inspired by William De Morgan’s intriguing creatures, particularly his birds, and created my own plate design using vibrant colours.