Artist statement
Memories of stories, and fairy tales, which my grandparents told and read to me, as a child; and my grandmother’s creativity, and skill with needle and thread continue to influence and inspire my practice. [These] Fragile memories and histories are what I try to capture in the garments I make. The empty garments have a ghostly presence – a life of their own – and are a vehicle for narratives, that may be imagined or real, sometimes distorted and often repeated, that I - or the viewer - wish to tell.
Text is a central concern and has often been embroidered on to a piece of clothing, such as tiny black words sewn to form a map of a life on a pair of organza gloves. Or a text was fabricated to form a lacy black poem that was used to construct a little black dress. Semi transparent fabrics are employed to convey invisibility/fragility, and to bring the text to the foreground.
The pieces of work produced are labour intensive. Each item is treated as an haute couture garment, which becomes part of an imagined magical wardrobe.
Qualifications and training
- 1998 Training For Artists In Schools, Institute Of Education, University Of London, London
- 1994 Theatre Design Masters degree, Wimbledon School Of Art, Wimbledon, London SW19
- 1989 Textile Postgraduate course, Winchester School Of Art, Winchester
- 1988 Fashion And Textile BA Hons degree, GLoucester College Of Arts and Tecnology, Cheltenham
- 1985 Art Foundation Course, Rochdale Art College, Rochdale
Employment
- 1999 Costume designer, Theatre Centre, London
- 1998 Set and Costume designer, Theatre Centre, London
- 1997 Costume designer, Yolande Snaith Theatre Dance, London
- 1996 Costume designer, Yolande Snaith Theatre Dance, London
- 1991 Dye room assistant and wardrobe assistant, Glyndebourne Opera Company, Glyndebourne, Lewes, East Sussex
Solo exhibitions
- 2000 Sharp Words, Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries, Scotland
Group exhibitions
- 2008 Body Space, Tuille House, Carlisle, Cumbria
- 2006 Making Words, Bilston Craft Gallery, Wolverhampton
- 2004 Woken With A Kiss, Hastings Museum and Art Gallery, Hastings
- 2004 Hats And Gloves, Leicester City Art Gallery, Leicester
- 2003 Sample, Embroiderers Guild, The Williamson Gallery, Liverpool; The Dutch Museum Of Textile, Netherlands; Hall Place, Kent.
- 2000 Source, The Royal Museum, Edinburgh
- 1999 Subverted Suburbia, Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries, Scotland
Curated projects
- 2001 Princess SuSu, Shambellie House Museum Of Costume, Dumfriesshire , Scotland. Touring nationally.
Residencies
- 2000 Artist In Residence, Creative Education Programme., Dumfries and Galloway
Competitions, prizes and awards
- 2001 Award For Individual Development, The Scottish Arts Council, Scotland
- 2000 Equipment Award, Arts Trust Of Scotland, Scotland
- 2000 Awards For Individual Development, The Scottish Arts Council, Scotland
Educational experience - early years
- 2012 Embroidered Self Portraits, Paint Pots Nursery, London
Educational experience - primary
- 2012 Memories - Embroideries, St. Mary Abbots Primary School, London
Site specific
- 2003 Telling Tales, Palladian Chapel, Gibside Estate, Gateshead
Publications
- 2008 Embroidery Magazine, Volume 59. "Tales Of The Unexpected".
- 2006 Crafts Magazine, No. 200. Critical Reviews, page 56.
- 2001 Crafts Magazine, No. 172. Critical Review, page 56.
- 2001 O Monografias, Issue 2. "A Princess SuSu", page 300.
- 1990 International Textiles, No. 718. "Starting Points", page 100.
