Statement
Drawing from direct observation is at the heart of my practice. It is the most important aspect of my work, fundamental to the development of my ideas and their realisation, a means of gathering visual information and translating it through other processes and mediums. To draw an object is to really see it, drawing allows me to spend time looking at an object, contemplating its physicality and somehow unlocking part of its deeper meaning. The natural world, its beauty and endless variety of organic forms provide a rich resource of visual material for my art. I am also fascinated by the natural sciences, natural history museums and their development, as well as in their modes of recording and representing nature in zoological and botanical illustrations and taxidermy.

I see my work as existing somewhere between still life and landscape, figuration and abstraction. I work in an intuitive way. My process always begins with the singular object around which everything else develops accumulatively. Essentially my process is a form of collage, a system of adding and an attempt to create a visual balance within the limitation of the frame.

My background in fine art and textile design has given me a diverse approach to my textile art. My work celebrates figuration, aesthetics and the decorative. Embroidery is another form of drawing. Traditionally decorative materials such as beads and sequins are used not merely as embellishment but as considered marks on the fabric’s surface or solid blocks of colour and texture. They actively contribute to the formation of my compositions, and are often combined with unexpected imagery that invites closer inspection.

Education
2005-2006 MA Textile Design Practice and Theory, Winchester School of Art

2000-2003 BA Honours Fine Art, Falmouth College of Art

1999-2000 Foundation Studies, Central Saint Martins College of Art

Awards
2007 Crafts Council NextMove business development award
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