The themes in my work are often based around my children, childhood or found objects that interest me. I often start with photographs, objects and sketches. The 'shoe' pieces are based on my first shoes that I have kept as 'souvenirs' I became interested in the embellishments and structural parts of the shoes and also enjoyed the nostalgic element of my children 'learning to walk'. The paintings have evolved from straight forward imagery to compositions playing with a variety of materials and techniques. Both 'Elsie's Shoe' and 'Lotte's Shoe' are screenprints on Linen/canvas, oil paint and stitched into. I enjoying playing with the boundaries of fine art and craft, traditional and contemporary practice.
Feltmaking is a fantastic medium to work with, I love the way it can be solid and structural, simple, complex and painterly. I have since developed the idea of the shoe being a vessel with other vessel themes emerging;pregnancy, pear shapes, Russian dolls nesting. The 'shoe' piece was a combination of a shoe and a figure, a dress up doll with capes, buckles and belts. Since then I have explored the Russian doll as a concept and produced felt pieces that explore identity and character, perhaps resembling family portraits or exist as ambiguous forms.
My latest series of work has evolved from embellishment and is based on a piece of antique lace I came across in Bedfordshire. This work plays with scale and the aesthetic qualities of the original scrap of fabric and inspired by the
'lace lines' is an exploration of the decorative shapes and patterns created by the lace. A positive felt shape of the lace magnified is overlapped with lines of stitch echoing the pattern and shape. These subtle light and dark 'traces' create a texture to the felt and break the surface, creating spatial and formal contrasts.
'lace form' is a similar exploration to 'lace lines' but plays with the pictorial plane by breaking the surface with sculptural lace forms. The boundaries of the pictorial space are challenged by these loose elements, creating shadows that play with
the composition.The physicality of felt is explored both as a painterly and sculptural medium.