Felt and Collage pieces.
My work is inspired by the sea and by the myths and legends associated with protectors of ships at sea. I am fascinated by the totems and folklore of the buildings created for the purpose of those left ashore waiting for their safe return.. Hidden in tiny churches across villages in every land are starry ceilings and paper boats, angels clutching sailing ships and the collective baited breaths of loved ones in prayer..
I have always been drawn to the depths, colours and textures of the seaside. Drawn to the power of the sea and also the nostalgia of childhood summers spent in the sand and on the pier, I feel it is a simple and wonderful connection which those by the sea are linked by, within the vast changeable fringes of an ever changing seasonal horizon.
My work evolves and grows organically when it is being created until it is is finished! Collages are created using a mix of acrylic, ink and different textured layers of papers, with the addition of touches of sparkle.
In my felted work, I hand roll each piece and build up texture with fleece and fibre . These pieces are then stitched together and needle-felted, embroidered by hand or on the sewing machine and manually and lovingly nurtured until the balance is right and the colours sing.
In My figurative paintings, I am celebrating the feminine archetype the mothers, the sisters and the daughters, celebrating the everyday wonder of hearth and home and the magic within. They represent the tastes and smells of our connections with those we love and have loved. The excitement of treasures found in the bottom of a drawer, an envelope of old photographs, the feather found between the pages of an old travel book . These are the building blocks of good things we take forward and share with our children. Creating a piece of art for me becomes the essence of storytelling and magical surprises. My figures are suspended in time, the fleeting moments of dreams, standing alone or hiding in the shadows of secret worlds. Real or imagined, they are the keepers of deepest memories and childhood stories.
I am a collector, a treasure keeper, a magpie, I cant help it! Bottle tops are little boats.. sweet wrappers are the glint of an angels wing, there are ideas and beginnings everywhere..
I have spent my life stitching together fragments of inspiration. In journals, sketchbooks, helping others to formulate their ideas and develop their own language.
I am interested in the hidden layers of magic within a painting or a collage, the way that materials react against each other: in how colours and materials can be magically transformed, creating new depths , surface textures and plays of light.
A large part of my life so far has held my art contained in my home, my friends homes! and my sketchbooks.. Given over to bringing up my two stepsons and my daughter, largely alone, and managing pain from a debilitating health condition. But it never stopped growing and evolving, as did the dream to share what I was learning and experiencing with other people.
I do love a little bit of colour!
