The use of textiles and thread is central to my practice as an artist, not just for their aesthetics, but for how they connect with our lives and memories. Vintage textiles can provoke an emotional response, and have an inherent history that makes transforming them into something new, a meaningful process that satisfies my urge to preserve these fragments of times past, but in a contemporary way. As well as recycling something that would otherwise be discarded, they give a resonance and sense of a past life to my new pieces. I combine them with free motion machine and hand embroidery to create bold pieces in a rich palette of colours, patterns, and textures, provided by brocades, damasks, synthetic, and natural fibres.

I have been fascinated with birds and animals for as long as I can remember, and they have been the focus of my drawings and dreams since then. I spent my childhood in Hampshire, and then Oxfordshire, and holidays at my grandparents’ home on the Isle of Wight, exploring nature and poring over illustrated books. The small thrill of seeing something wild and beautiful close up has stayed with me, and some of the creatures to which I feel drawn to depict now are those that I might encounter in my own garden or around the village of Blewbury in Oxfordshire where I live. A majestic kingfisher spying on its prey, or an encounter with a handsome and imposing swan, are daily life-enhancing experiences that inspire creativity.

With hand embroidery I find a natural rhythm of slow stitching that gives me time to build a relationship with the creature I am portraying. I view my subjects with a romantic eye, trying to imbue them with life and individual character, colour combinations that sing, and a sense of atmosphere. In essence, my work celebrates the magical beauty of nature, and invites you to connect with the enchanting birds and beasts around us.  

I am a member of the Oxford Art Society, Society for Embroidered Work, the Heritage Crafts Association, Embroiderers’ Guild, Modern Makers Collective, and an associate member of Ayres House Studios.