Present – yet unseen
These images no longer exist as works in their own right. They have been absorbed into the latest form I’ve been making in my ongoing chrysalis series; their subtlety now remains hidden beneath stitched folds of silk and metal. Only I know they exist – they are...
An unknown known…..sort of…..
It may be for reasons not yet clear to me but my need to just keep plodding on with this particular process, with no end point in sight or even wanted, seems to serve a purpose far beyond whatever object or form I create. I’m 69 now and in a few months will be...
When darkness matters
I watched a webinar recently about young textiles artists from quite different parts of our complex world. Their enthusiasm and confidence filled the screen, they knew exactly what they were doing and why and were obviously certain of their message and...
Today and not yesterday
My last 2 posts felt cathartic but also they rather echoed of resentment. Clarity takes time to reach especially when we continually try to resist it. I don't have many words at this point for the new work on this page but I do acknowledge that it is slowly emerging...
Undeclared risk to artists doing PhDs – part 2
How does academia value new knowledge obtained through creative practice? As discussed in my previous post about myown PhD experience, I felt that it was seen as secondary to the primary, measurable element - the written thesis. What followed was a profound...
The hidden risk to artists undertaking PhDs
I’ve mentioned in previous posts that I was awarded my PhD in creative practice in 2018. Since then, I feel as if I’ve been on something of a journey and I’d like to share some thoughts, primarily as a cautionary note directed at any artist contemplating beginning the...
The variations within an iterative creative practice
So much has changed yet much has remained centre-stage. The new body of work is increasing, albeit still slowly. I’m absorbed in the process itself. By that I mean, this iterative method I use is revealing minute aspects I’d overlooked before, to the point where every...
Creatively adapting to Covid
Reading back over my last post, I'm saddened by how angry and negative it sounds to me now. But transitions are messy and I'm still within that process. Because of the implications of the Covid-19 virus, in late February I decided to cancel my solo exhibition in...
on making work for a specific exhibition
This work is failing….in one sense. I’ve finally turned a familiar process used over many years, into a commodity. It has little going for it aesthetically yet I kept pushing it towards what felt like a solution…of sorts. Maybe ‘conclusion’ is a more accurate...
Re-presented and new directions
I’ve been looking closely at seaweed once again, as I walk along the shoreline each day, particularly the way it enfolds, wrapping into itself. Beginning this piece about 10 days ago, I look at it now and feel really intrigued, I’m pulled in and find myself...