Motte (Lewes) - £395

36 x 36, (45 x 45) Framed

From a series of landscapes in and around Lewes, East Sussex, depicting terraced houses on the banks leading up to the castle. This work is a collage of tapestry woven houses on a background of more open woven landscape, using a variety of natural yarns, including wool, linen and hemp.

Adonis Blue - £550

30 x 33 x 8 (48 X 48 x 9 framed)

My local local environment, is dominated by the South Downs. The view from my loom is of the nearby hill, Malling Down, a nature reserve. There is also a blind valley called The Coombe. This is a noted location for the rare Adonis Blue butterfly. It is found on chalk downland where its caterpillar’s food, Horseshoe Vetch (yellow flowers) is found. The butterflies like the sheltered sunny slopes of The Coombe. The Adonis Blue caterpillar has a symbiotic relationship with ants. The ants nurture the larvae and pupae, protecting them from predators and burying them at night. In return the ants are rewarded with a sugary secretion from the larvae’s honey glands. The colonies require short grassland, so the grazing sheep, cattle and horses also play a role in maintaining a suitable environment. For me, the Coombe is a magical environment that changes with the light. On sunny warm days the grassland appears to glow, which I have represented with knitted copper wire.

Sheffield Park (after Adrian Berg) - £325

36 x 36, (45 x 45) Framed

Sheffield Park (after Adrian Berg) was a result of my assisting on Outside In Step Up Exploring Collections course at Pallant House Gallery. The artists were researching landscape works from the collection. One of the works was by Adrian Berg and I decided to use his painting of Sheffield Park as a starting point for a weaving. The colour palette was quite challenging as it is a lot brighter than I would normally use so it pushed me out of my comfort zone. I already had a base weaving on a frame and so added the Sheffield Park scene by needle weaving the yarns in. The weaving is quite loose compared to tapestry weaving and it is quicker to build up the shapes and textures. I used many different yarns to give visual impact and try to represent the fluidity of brush strokes.

Stars, Dreams - £325

28 x 28, (45 x 45) Framed

work was woven in response to the Outside In Step Up course at Ditchling Museum, 2019. There were quite a few inspirations: Seb Lester’s calligraphic quote from Van Gogh was the starting point. “For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me want to dream.” Also, the influence of the letter press, which I was fortunate to have a go at operating. I wanted to take the words that I had printed and weave them, using the printed letters as my cartoon for the word “Stars”. I was also inspired by fellow Outside In artist, Clarke Reynolds, who I was assisting on the course with his work in Braille. I then rendered the word “Dreams” in Braille stars, as part of the weaving, with Clarke’s guidance. The biggest source of inspiration for me at Ditchling Museum was the work of weaver and printmaker, Tadek Beutlich. I used a black woollen warp, similar to his large work in the collection, “Dream Revealed”.

Malling Down (winter view) - £900

28 x 37 framed

A 3-D weaving depicting a hill I can see from my window.

Solar Storm - £450

60 X 60 framed, unglazed

A shaped weaving in response to recent solar activity. Mixed materials, silk, wool, cotton, plastic net and ribbon.

The Life of a She Dragon - £850

50 x 25 Mounted

‘Life of a She-Dragon’, is from a series of Chinese dragons that I am working on, having participated in a research programme at the Wellcome Collection in 2017. Seeking a tangible way to represent traditional Chinese medicine, I found that the dragon form is often used. The She-dragon is in memory of my aunt who was half Chinese.

The Teardrop Explodes - £280

14 x 20 x 4, (28 x 37) Framed

3-D tapestry is the counterpart to another teardrop shaped one that I wove. I wanted to compare the 2 textile techniques - the knotting is also used in macrame. The title references the Julian Cope's band of the same name and refers to my state of mind at the time of making: full of frustration.

Pells Fog - £595

100 X 60 – on batten

Pells Fog was woven to re-create a memory of walking home late one night, passing the Pells pond in Lewes. The mist was rising from the water and was illuminated by a street light, swirling about a birch branch. The almost-magical sight on a cold, damp night allayed fears of walking alone, alert to external sounds and aware of my own heart beat and thoughts. Materials include horsehair, nylon, viscose and cotton. As well as traditional tapestry weave, I like to work in a more open weave style, inspired by one of Tadek Beutlich’s techniques. This creates different effects of light, colour and texture requiring a more textural combination of yarns. The technique also allows for the creation of larger pieces more spontaneously.

Tree House - £120

25 X 40 mounted on mdf

Influenced by children's illustrations, of houses in trees, such as for the Minpins by Roald Dahl.