Associate Members
The Textile Study Group owes its place as a leading textile group to the talent of its members and to those who have gone before to pave the way. When a member decides not to continue as a full time member of the group, they leave a legacy. We are in debt to these remarkable artists. They have championed the textile arts, doing invaluable work to elevate fibre and thread in the contemporary art world.
Elizabeth Ashurst
Elizabeth Ashurst, Cargoes and Containers.
I am a freelance artist and lecturer using paint, print, dyed silk and thread to create stitched wall hangings, panels, paintings and scarves. Light and colour are the key factors in my practice which draws its inspiration from landscape and my travels to eastern Europe and Russia (prior to the Ukrainian war).
Website: www.lizashurst.co.uk
Affiliated group website: www.newembroiderygroup.com
Chris Berry
Chris Berry, Research based on a jacket, coif, forehead cloth, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Current research is C16th & C17th English historical embroidered textiles, investigation and passing on my knowledge to students to better understand these fascinating embroideries. Tudor caps and coifs: Wrought with blakke silke: Unravelling Tudor stitches: Curious needleworkes: Stitch by Stitch are some of the courses I teach in USA, Canada, Australia and UK.
Email: tudorstitches@hotmail.com
Website: www.tudorstitches.co.uk
Jenny Bullen
Jenny Bullen, Walking through Time.
The chalk down lands and coast where I live continue to be the main inspiration for my work although I usually work in response to an idea rather than a particular image. One source of constant interest is observing where the sea and land meet as I walk around the shore; the colour of the sea constantly changes, one day greys and ochres, sometimes vivid blues and silver. Marks in the landscape intrigue me, weathered by time. Ice, mud and frost, hard shadows and bare hedges, hazy summer sunlight, birds flying overhead all have important roles in my work.
Rosemary Campbell
Rosemary Campbell, Evanescence.
I constantly draw, paint, photograph and collage in order to collect enough reference material to create a body of work. Paperwork is my starting point for my textile pieces. I love to use traditional techniques in a contemporary way, to stitch on painted paper alongside reverse appliqué or embellished fabric. Throughout my career as a lecturer these techniques have developed more into mixed media while maintaining stitch as an important element.
Jan Evans
Jan Evans in her studio.
My work reflects the passion I have for the woods, hills and valleys of my local landscape on the edge of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire. The year’s seasonal cycle and the unpredictable British weather provide me with ever changing inspiration. The light on the land which creates shadow and reveals form and texture is especially noticeable during the winter months, my favourite time of year.
Alison King
Alison King, Landscape near Loch Kinnord.
Trained as a painter, I now increasingly combine textiles with paint and collage feeling this form of mixed media is ideal for interpreting different themes. Much inspiration has come from the Scottish landscape and the marks and scars left on the land by generations of landowners and crofters.
Jan Miller
Jan Miller, Sediment (detail).
My practice centers on observing and "reading" the Norfolk coastline, where regular visits reveal key elements of land management, local industry, and conservation.
Rooted in a background in science and family sewing traditions, my studio process relies on collecting, cataloguing, and ordering. Found objects are isolated, grouped, and transformed alongside discarded remnants of cloth and salvaged paper. Natural dyes, earth pigments, and hand-stitching accentuate every crease and incision.
By folding, layering, and wrapping plant material with thread or wire, I build two-dimensional fragments into three-dimensional forms—creating new narratives from the hidden histories of reclaimed materials.
Julie Erica Saunders
Julie Erica Saunders.
The collecting and layering of cloth, incorporation of meaningful text and assembling simply stitched pieces has been the consistent approach in my work. The work is underpinned by family history and new works explore ‘Presence in Absence’ where my pieces extend beyond the personal and connect with others via this universal theme.
Julia Triston
Julia Triston, To Know a Veil (detail).
As a maker, educator and author in contemporary textiles, with forty years’ experience in the creative industries, my practice investigates the themes of identity, gender and sustainability. My artworks are rooted in the history of found materials and express a social commentary on political issues from a feminist perspective. I transform salvaged textiles into upcycled artworks with contemporary narratives.I am a Masters graduate with a Distinction in Contemporary Applied Arts. I am the author of Textile Protest (2025) and co-author of two previous Batsford titles. I am dedicated to textile education and sharing the transformative power of upcycled art.
Email: textilearts@juliatriston.com
Website: www.juliatriston.com
Ann Wheeler
Ann Wheeler, A Passage in Time.
My work is very process lead. The act of drawing and recording ideas in sketchbooks together with historical research, leads to sampling and development. My other great love is lacemaking and trying to get the historical technique acknowledged in a modern context. The use of a larger scale and a variety of thicker and challenging threads can be exciting to explore and needs a willingness to compromise.
Email: anndwheeler@btinternet.com
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