I have been trying for some time to figure out what I want to reflect my journey over the past 30 years with Fibromyalgia. All it has robbed me of, and what it has given me. Perhaps now I can find my story in my own stitches.

Thank you.

Thank you for your comment and I can understand what you say. I will certainly bear it in mind when moving forward when describing my work. I can understand thinking that it is a shame when new descriptions of practices as old of time are renamed.
I guess I see it as a descriptive word to express this traditional practise in this new ultra busy, non stop World that we inhabit. And therefore because the environment is so different to 30+ years ago, then maybe this change of context prompted the need for the description. The speed of making has stayed the same, but the vehicle in which we ride this heady, fast daily life has speeded up considerably and therefore, the sewing seems slower.

All the best and thank you for your comment.

Thank you very much and I am so glad you found the work powerful. I am sorry to say it wasn’t my work at Ally Pally, but I would certainly like to see this work. This is the first tome I have worked with my hair, but have plans for more. I hope you will like these too.

All the best and thank you again for taking the time to comment.

Thank you for taking time to reply to the feature about my work. I have thought deeply about response and will continue to do so. Thank you for that, as it will be helpful to consider moving forward.

I am sorry that it wasn’t to your liking. My training is in fine art as well as illustration and I approach my art work from this angle. The more personal the work and the more difficult the subject matter is, it tends to resonate more powerfully with viewers. I have found this to be true with the feedback I have had from the two exhibitions the pillowcase has been shown in.

I would like to say that although selling the work would help fund my artistic practise, the making of the work to explore this personal subject is 99% of the drive behind making as it, is a cathartic process. Plus, with experience, I also know that the best artwork works on multiple layers.

Making attractive work without the deeper purpose of touching others souls is much easier for any artist or crafts person, but it doesn’t tend to stay with the viewer long after they have experienced the artwork. Even if the resonated feeling does not have a positive slant, to create impact due to the truth behind the work is my desire, and fits with my training. That is because I was taught good art should stir the soul as well as the eye, with the described translated energy speaking deeply, without words.

I have been creating artwork for a number of years that works merely visually, whilst suppressing the strong desire to create more meaningful work. That is because it is extremely frightening to express your deepest experiences and publicly “vomit” your soul. Yet the dance between the almost need to create the work and the fear of publicly outing it, is delicate and nuanced. The thing that makes showing it worth breaking through the fear to do so, is that it might just help, even one viewer, express some unexpressed and difficult emotion. Or maybe prompt a healing conversation. You pay the price of vulnerability by daring to open yourself to criticism of your deepest self which can be very painful. But it is worth it if you know that daring to do so could help healing or inspire someone else’s creative practise.

I hope that helps with your questions and comments.

All the best and thank you.