Wall Hangings

Medieval and Renaissance tapestries, goldwork embroidery and quilted bed-hangings remain a rich and constant source of inspiration although there is no stitching or fabric involved in these ornate, sculpted wall hangings. The complex design and scale of tapestries alongside their mobility and pliability echo the altar piece in terms of the duality of image and object. I have always enjoyed the interplay between craft, art and design and feel that it is in the overlap that the magic happens.

Textiles are closely connected with humans and our surroundings. We rely on them to survive, for warmth and shelter, swaddling our new borns and shrouding our dead. The processes, materials and qualities of textiles provide metaphors to describe the society and world we inhabit using sayings such as ‘life hanging by a thread,’ ‘spinning a yarn’ or ‘weaving a spell.’

“The cloths of Heaven” by W B Yeats hangs on the studio wall.