My first degree in 1989 was in textiles and I have recently undertaken a Masters in Textiles at UCA Farnham gaining a distinction. Currently, I am studying for a Practice Led Fine Art Research PhD at York St. John University.
My work has frequently involved cloth and stitching, with the garment being a favoured outcome. The PhD has introduced other materials and is taking my work in new directions.
Previous and current work has also used flora, notably dahlias for both the associations and their beauty.
The combination of nature and textiles is something that makes perfect sense. It is taking the everyday, the fallen leaves and dropped petals of a flower, and using it to enhance another everyday item: cloth.
Cloth is central to ours lives: we wear it, it is both utilitarian and an enhancement to our world; and we see it everywhere. We are touched by it continually and yet all too often we forget its importance. Cloth is in a unique position to give beauty and use, whether aesthetic or sensory, to us in various forms and shapes.