Embroidered
Fine Art
Creative Process
I combine meticulous freehand machine embroidery with hand painting techniques, creating ethereal landscapes that explore patterns within science, beauty and the natural world. Working on stretched linen, I explore the textural intersection between thread and watercolour, giving a multi dimensional aesthetic.
Starting with loose and unpredictable forms in watercolour, I study the emerging patterns that suggest imagery such as topography, waterways, dendritic formations, fractals, and migration pathways. I have developed a style of drawing with the needle to accentuate line, perspective, and give definition to the subject matter. I mix thread texture, colour and density to lift the imagery towards the viewer.
My aim is for the physicality of the work to result in a visuo-tactile experience for the viewer,
to reflect and engage with their own personal story.
Dendrite Forest
48" x 48"
Cultivated
24" x 24"
Mudflats (detail)
48" x 48"
About My Work
In the same way that physical patterns emerge in the neurological landscape of our minds, I seek to represent these often intangible concepts which are universal to the human experience. Patterns in nature and patterns of thought feel synonymous in my landscapes. I frequently depict synapses, dendrites and neurons, inspired by researchers in neuroplasticity such as Greg Dunn, Ramón y Cajal and Dr Caroline Leaf.
My recent work explores geometry and tessellation, representing the way our brains seek to organise our experience of being in the world. I have juxtaposed contrasts of manmade structures against natural forms; cultivated land, floodplains, salt flats, meandering river-ways with mudflats, dry riverbeds, mountain ranges and wadis. I repeat the theme of swallows breaking out from rigid fixed thinking into a lighter and more spacious thought-life.
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Migration (detail)
Spacious Places
39" x 39"
Currents (detail)
Currents
24" x 12"
Liminal
16" x 19"
Liminal (detail)
Lilypads
12" x 12"
Cardoon Thistle
19" x 26"
