Stitches from the Cosmos……

I am a decorative textile artist living and working in the West Midlands, UK. My artworks are visual transcriptions from the beauty I see in the wonder of the universe. I believe we are all, in a very real and profound sense, part of the Cosmos. Born from it, our fate is deeply connected to it.

In this new body of work I have been captivated by the wonderment of the universe - its population of planets, stars, nebulae, moons, white dwarfs and supernovae. They appear to me as enchanting and colourful objects; a cosmic ocean of wonderful and fascinating patterns, shapes and colours - a great celestial beauty. My stitches are a way of exploring the beauty of the universe in terms of structure, composition and texture. A homage in fabric. These dyed, collaged and stitched embroidered pieces are patches of the universe and my expression of the magnificence of the Cosmos and all it has to offer in terms of a visual experience.

My main inspiration for my most recent artworks stems from my fascination with the universe, however I have been stitching and creating textile artworks for many years and I have been influenced by a myriad of themes and topics.

My grandma Rose was a huge influence on my love of stitching and making. She was an amazing influence in my life and she taught me how to first thread a needle and tack cloth squares together to produce a simple patchwork quilt. She was a self-taught crafter herself and she passed onto me her own unique traditional hand crafted lacemaking techniques. I am so grateful to her for passing her knowledge, techniques and skills onto me in my younger years and although she is not with us these days, I still feel a strong connection with her as I stitch and create my own textile pieces.

I have always been interested in the intimate nature of the home and garden; from crafting and making objects for the home and family to planting and nurturing nature’s amazing structural forms. I find my time in the garden fascinating and I have been very inspired by simple forms such as dandelion heads & the colourful vitality of a sunflower or poppy head and the magnificent beauty of a meadow filled with bluebells at the beginning of springtime. I love sowing seeds and taking the time to sit in my garden observing the shapes, patterns and forms as well as enjoying the various scents that drift through the garden throughout the changing seasons.

I am also inspired by decorative architecture, I love the detailed patterns that are carved into wooden panels and painted onto fresco walls, the novelty of an unusual door knocker and the forged decorative metal work on gates and railings. I also love ceramic mosaic in buildings and interiors and the work of the architect Antonio Gaudi.

The Celestial Convergence Series