Creatives | Bobby Clark – Pampa Journal

A collaboration with creatives who inspire us from around the world. Through this series, our aim is to intimately connect you to individuals and their art.

In this special feature, we shine a spotlight on visionary artist Bobby Clark, who has recently launched the HAUS collection in collaboration with PAMPA and their skilled weavers. This collaboration celebrates the fusion of artistic expression and cultural heritage, with each rug embodying Bobby Clark’s intricate themes of symmetry and personal narrative.

Join us as we sit down with Bobby to explore the transformative power of cross-cultural dialogue, uniting art and craftsmanship in a collection that speaks the universal language of creativity. We delve into her life, art, and what inspires her daily.

How would you describe yourself as a creative?

Multidisciplinary. Primarily a painter but I also cross mediums into photography, creative direction, interiors and mixed media. I love to challenge myself to learn new skills and really enjoy working with other people to to explore new techniques and applications. I am happiest conceptualising and pushing the boundaries with my work. I can get quite obsessive with a subject or a process so I love being pushed to try something new.

Why it is important to you to have art and handcrafted objects around you at home and within your space?

I love anything that has evidence of physical human touch. I was raised by artists and was always encouraged to explore and study how things are made so I am naturally drawn to the handmade and handcrafted. In every aspect of life, not just in art and design. My favourite thing to do is hunt through antique and thrift stores for interesting objects, books, art or textiles. I studied fashion, textiles, art and design so I have a real connection to objects that tell a story. I can tell you where I have found most of the things in my house. There is a deep romance in finding something that is a one-off. It’s so important to me to keep tradition alive and support the artisans that create such special pieces. I don’t want the machine made.

What role do you believe a rug plays in shaping a space?

The rug is so important in tying everything together. The canvas for the rest of the story to build. It sets the base for the interior colour story and shapes to evolve into the rest of your home. I am very considerate when it comes to what rugs I invest in. I have some beautiful rugs in storage that I have found in thrift stores that don’t work with our current house but I know one day they will. I love the tradition of weaving, the indigenous markings of where they have come from and rich colour palettes which I let influence the other textiles I build around them.

What is your favourite colourway of your HAUS rugs?

Unexpectedly the brown and dusty blue. Well blue is my favourite colour but the combination of pairing it with the earthy muted brown was a last minute surprise for us all. It wasn’t part of the collection until after the first round of sampling was done. Vicky and I were looking at the yarn samples and colours and it just came together and ended up being my favourite. It’s very modernist.

What inspires your work?

Everything. Modernist architecture, new and old art, my favourite museums, books, music, people, film, landscapes, textiles… Inspiration comes from everything and everyone. It’s a combination of our own experiences and what we are visual drawn to. Colour is the most important part of my work. Colour theory and the connotations to my mood and feelings take my work to a deeper level I often don’t know I am processing. Nothing exists without the other.

More on Bobby Clark here

Photos: Victoria Aguirre

Film: Odin Wilde