Surface Two artists were selected to take part in Surface - London Printworks Trust's Bursary Scheme 2003-04. Surface is aimed at recent graduates helping them to make the sometimes difficult transition between being an art student and life as a professional artist. Surface takes the form of a six month residency at London Printworks and a bursary of £2,500 for each artist. The scheme is funded by the Moose Foundation for the Arts and the Leverhulme Trust. Rachel Clowes Rachel Clowes graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 2003 with a BA (Hons) in Embroidery. Her work examines skin decoration in the form of tattoos, and she uses embroidered clothing as a vehicle to reference the permanent nature of stitching and tattoos, both using needles to pierce the skin. Clowes interest is in the public perception of women with tattoos and how using pattern on their skin reveals and conceals particular aspects of themselves. Her series of embroidered dresses uses both hand and machine embroidery to create wonderfully rich pieces that tell stories of love, identity and memory. Martin Vowles Martin Vowles graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2003 with an MA in Communication Art & Design. His work centres around war and in particular the recent conflict in Iraq. He creates seemingly beautiful patterns that hide often quite disturbing imagery. These include time/distance graphs of surface-to-air missiles, and the length and location of all wars in the last 100 years, depicted as a series of concentric circles in rich colours. Vowles applies his designs primarily to domestic objects including furniture and a series of men's shirts.

Rachel Clowes Martin Vowles Martin Vowles