You describe your works as being ‘intuitively stitched’ – how much of your creative practice do you leave to instinct/serendipity?
The intuition is always there guiding the process. The colours in my work come to be as the layers of cloth come together, and then again when the embroidered pattern is overlaid. It takes some time to determine the overall direction the piece wants to take, and then the meditation begins; as the piece grows the process becomes quite planned and repetitive, this is when I begin contemplating what comes next.
You’ve been experimenting with paper weaving – will you be incorporating this more into your future work, and how else can you see your craft evolving?
Yes! I often participate in The 100 Day Project and this year I chose to weave paper. Doing these weavings also led me to start painting and sewing the paper. This is why I participate, it’s about playing without knowing where it will go, if it will go, and how it will turn out. I think this is important and keeps me from getting bored when the stitched works get a bit monotonous. I am definitely intrigued by sewn painted paper and have all kinds of ideas, but at this time I can’t really say where they will go – I am a true believer that this is how work evolves, grows, and gets better. You must mix in a little bit of not knowing.