All my life I have worked with fabrics. I remember snippets from my mother’s seamstressing were made into puppets and different creatures. In the ‘70’s I made patchwork waistcoats and worked at Liberty’s in the model dress department. Here I had a wonderful view of Liberty designs and colour. I have collected and gathered materials all my life and these I work into cushions. Velvets, silks, liberty prints, and things with a material history – each with a story to remember.
Moving to Northumberland and discovering the old technique of rug-making became a way to combine my love of colour and texture. ‘Sustenance’, which now hangs in Newcastle Central Library, was a collaborative work with Ali Rhind commissioned by The Tyne and Wear Foundation to commemorate their twentieth anniversary.
The sketches are small sample pieces in preparation for larger work.
I live in a wild landscape. The huge skies reveal ever-changing light and shadow, with many extremes. Every season brings fresh thoughts and new colours and textures. My garden with its hidden nests and flashing of exotic wings is always a bringer of ideas.
My work can be seen in Alston, Cumbria at http://www.thecaneworkshop.co.uk/
Over the last decade I have exhibited my work at a number of galleries, including Gracefield at Dumfries, Flat Cat at Lauder, Theatre by the Lake at Keswick, The Hearth at Horsley, Gateshead Library, the Moot Hall at Hexham, Lanercost Priory, Alston, Duns and Edinburgh.
