artists and tutors sharing ideas imagination and skills
Point-of-view
Transparent blocks shift, slice, and conceal a collection; view from above. 2010. Photo credit: electric egg
Point-of-view
Transparent layers and mirrors reflect and multiply a collection; edge view. 2010. Photo credit: electric egg
Map notes
An unfolded stitched map supported on oak blocks records a journey. 2010
Map notes detail
Map cloth (series IX)
Textile sketch (iii). 2011
Map cloth (series IX)
Textile sketch (vi). 2010
My textile art is firmly rooted in my training in traditional hand embroidery and the influence of domestic sewing. Layers of skills passed on and retained: method and order, repetition and re-use. Small installations in appropriate containers, shelves or cupboards, hold finished narratives with origins in the mechanisms and minutiae of everyday life.
New work begins and ends with a collection - researching old and creating new. Practical sampling stimulates thinking and further making. It is a circular process informed by experience and memory. Cloth is marked by repeated manipulation or folding; natural dyes, inks and powders deepen the marks left by creases and incisions; printing and handstitch accentuate detail and increase texture and depth. I re-use discarded fabrics and papers – layering in my own history.
Collections - of objects, photographs, textile etc - are infused with unique personal thoughts, connections and experiences. Selection and juxtapositions evoke and reinforce memories. Point-of-view (2010) defines my visual thinking. A collection is displayed on and between transparent blocks that shift, slice, multiply and obscure what is visible as the viewer moves around the exhibit.
Map notes (2010) records another element of my working practice. A folding document maps the walk from home to studio, studio to home. Thoughts from each location become overlaid with small observations of the route – street names, architecture, detours, people, workplace, domestic life. Practice and place blend on a routine journey 'over the water', re-tracing and re-ordering fragments of Norwich history.
I have taught textiles on Access, A level and City and Guilds courses. Since completing an MA Textile Culture, I work as a freelance artist based at Muspole Workshops, Norwich, offering workshops and tutorial sessions on request.
Member of the Textile Study Group, 62 Group, Embroiderers' Guild, and Costume and Textile Association for Norfolk Museums.