I initially trained as a textile maker - a craft mostly associated with women’s work - and although now I usually create works with paint rather than stitch, they retain a textile feel: stitch is now drawing, dyes are now paints, patchwork is now collage. The surfaces of my works are built up with layers of cloth, charcoal drawing, paint and pastels to create work that might look graphic and simple from afar but is highly textured and full of visual information when viewed close up.
I am interested in the everyday lives of women, domesticity, the roles assigned to women in the home, and the way women find their place in the world. I take a project-led approach in my practice, following the thread of an idea for a year before moving on to the next. This results in work that can look distinctly different from series to series but is linked by common practice principles such as always starting with observational drawing, embracing imperfections, and following my curiosity.
Currently, I enjoy using storytelling in my works, often depicting myself or an alter ego in humdrum situations - arranging flowers, laying the table, gardening - to explore my relationship with place and draw attention to the patriarchal norms in society.
An art teacher once told me that if I always worked in a domestic setting, then my work would always be domestic - as if “domestic” were a slur. I deliberately depict myself in domestic settings using whimsy and humour to explore themes of feminism, self-liberation, and place.