StitchPrint

I love textured surfaces, colour, stitch and the process of creating. Sometimes I work quickly and freely and other times I can be meticulous.

Defining where I fit in to the bigger picture is difficult. You make your own judgement.

I use dye and print to achieve satisfactory surfaces that are colourful but subtle, contain simple repetitive imagery and have depth through layering. I follow with hand or machine stitch from a simple stitch dictionary where I feel a mark is needed.

I have started making dolls as a response to recycling fabric scraps and as a way of using the odds and ends which I love collecting.

I keep sketchbooks, sometimes quite formal and organised, others simply a vehicle to keep surfaces together. However, I also love notebooks where brainstorms, theme thinking, lists, poetry, doodles and quotes from other artists help me to be in touch with what I want to convey and where I am.

My background in fine art and literature seeps into my work of its own accord and manifests in a love of words for inspiration, a joy in the unexpected and a love of process. My regular, “bread and butter”, paid work is three days a week at an FE college in the Art & Design department, tutoring students in fashion, textiles and design. I teach adults on a regular basis, through tutoring, workshops and mentoring sessions with committed groups and individuals. I feel strongly that we all need to be passionate about our creativity, growing and developing to our full potential.

I am always ready to take a fresh look at what I do, to stand back and reassess, and welcome constructive criticism from friends and colleagues. Talking to like minds often clarifies your path or opens a new way of looking, it helps to move you forward.

Each area of my life feeds the other.

I’m sometimes asked by young students why I do what I do “as it takes so long”. The answer is simply that I love it. I want to. It satisfies me, and when I’m immersed in the process I’m in a good space that nothing else comes close to.