What do you use to draw on the silk?
Technical drawing pens, indian
ink & silk paint.
What do you use to paint on the fabrics?
Fabric paints on opaque silks, & silk paints on diaphanous silks.
The brands I favour are Pebeo Setacolor Transparent, Marabou Fabric
Paint, & the metalic paints from Polyprint in Belfast.
What sewing machine do you use?
A Bernina
830 Electronic Record, purchased in 1981.
What machine embroidery threads do you use?
Madeira Classic (all weights) & Tanne, & occasionally their FS
& Supertwist.
What fabrics do you use?
Honan, antung & organza silks, cotton organdie & velvet.
Do you use any speciality products? I
used to use Rolls Fabrifix to slightly stiffen the fabrics prior
to drawing and painting, but they have changed the formula & I
am having to use spray starch.
How long does it take to make a counterpane?
3 to 6 months.
Who are your favourite artists?
It depends on the era. In the seventies it was the Pre-Raphealites;
in the 80s & 90s, Renaissance painters; in the noughties it is
anyone who draws in detail.
How long did it take to.......?
The usual question, to which I have to say that it depends whether
it is a single piece or a new body of work, how big it is, what
the budget is etc. The research takes the longest ammount of
time (& is the most exciting),
looking,
drawing, sampling, & selecting. The actual making of a piece
is short in comparison.
Where do you get your inspiration?
It depends on the era again. In the 70's it was landscape; the
80s ranged from hothouses, gardens, statuary & design,
to ceramics, & the 90s & noughties continued my interest in the
human figure. I look at painting, sculpture, prints, ceramics,
whtever could be associated with the work I am doing at the time.
I
relish commissions; they are a challenge as they can turn me
in a new direction of discovery.
It was such
a commission
that two years ago, whilst working on the commission for a life-size
portrait of Mary Tudor, I recreated
her clothing with drawing. Thus commenced a new body of work informed
by lace, embroidered, woven, and printed textiles, some of which
are from the collections of Temple Newsham in
Leeds and the Textile Department at the V&A.
Of all the work you have done, which are
your favourites?
The self-portrait, One Peugeot, Two Persians & Paddy will
always be a favourite, because it includes my cats. Apart from
that it would
be Researching Grandfather. What made you become an artist?
My family & the fact that Halifax was a textile town when I was
a child & all my family worked in the industry in one way or
another. My father, who was a member of the Fabian Society, taught
me to
draw & paint
when
I was very
small.
He
took me to
galleries
&
museums throughout Yorkshire & Lancashire. My grandmother
taught my to embroider when I was 5. I made my
first
skirt on
the sewing
machine when I was 8.
I was taught Art all my way through school
by my now great friend Vicky Watling (Bottomley). So I naturally
went on to do it as a career, a precarious occupation at the best
of times!
What do you use your computer for?
Eveything! Uploading & manipulating images, drawing, planning works, accounting,
correspondence, giving talks. I use a tablet & pen instead of a mouse. My
computer is my sketchbook & the internet, my library.
What operating system do you use? Mac
OS X Tiger and Panther
What software do you use most?
Adobe: Photoshop,
In Design, Illustrator
Macromedia: FreeHand, Dreamweaver
iWork and iLife
Microsoft Office
|
