Portfolio

At the Edge of the Mountains

24 X 36 inches

Organza, Thermofax screen printing with thickened dyes and hand stitching.

 For a year I observed and made drawings of treasures I found on my weekly walks.  These gems I printed on the sides of 52 mountain like structures. All suspended on a branch I found on one of my walks.  

Jelly Fish

8 ft X 24" X 18"

 Plastic grocery bags and plastic straws not only pollute the ocean, but sea creatures think the floating plastic bags are jellyfish and eat them.  Plastic garbage of all kinds, are harming sea creatures.  My jellyfish made from plastic grocery bags with plastic straw armatures, represent the beautiful but deadly plastic jellyfish in our oceans.

Waves upon the shore

51" X 27"

Wet felted merino wool, yarn, embroidery threads.

 I love to watch the waves crash, then roll gently upon the shore

Colours from my garden

I spent the summer collecting plants from my garden and dyeing different silks and silk threads with the natural dyes.

A Blanket for my Grandfather

35" X 20"X 4"

Short haired merino, linen embroidery thread, glass beads. Wet and needle felted with hand embroidery.

My Grandfather died in the First World War leaving an infant son, my father. I made this blanket to cover my Grandfather's grave in the Churchyard in Spierre, Belgium. He is buried there with 8 other men. I wanted him to know his sacrifice meant that his now 18 direct descendents, represented by the felt poppies, grew up in freedom and gratitude.  The killing fields in Belgium gave way to fields of poppies.  I wanted my grandfather's grave to be covered by the warmth of his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

News From the Front

2015

60" X 42"

ilk Organza, Sequins. Thermofax screen printed, dyed with Procion MX dyes, burnt with hand stitching.

When clearing out the family home, I found faded letters from my Grandfather to my Grandmother when he was posted in Europe during the First World War. Among them, the letter from the Chaplain informing her of his death and burial in Belgium. He was only 20 and left an infant son, my father. There is a poppy for each year of his young life.  A very large copy of this photo of my Grandfather hung in my Grandmother's tiny house until the day she died. 

    Lost at Sea

67X60  inches

2013

Wool, linen, acrylic, purchased net. Knitting.

“Lost” refers to both the fishers and the fish. According to the WCB, fishers are 19 times more likely to lose their lives at work than other Nova Scotians. 19 knitted fish represent this grim statistic Overfishing by giant trawlers is leaving fish species dangerously low.   Knitting is a maritime tradition of both sailors whiling away lonely hours at sea and those at home waiting for their safe return.

    Home and Away

36 X 27 inches

2012

Wet felted merino wool, hand dyed silk, hand embroidery, appliqué.

My roots are in Devon, where the earth, sea and rock formations are the same lovely red colour as the Bay of Fundy. The sea has always been a source of strength for me. Both my past and present on both sides of the Atlantic are represented in this work.  But which is home and which is away? Sometimes I am conflicted.

    Safely Gathered In

12X24  inches

2013

Dupioni silk, linen, silk, man-made organza, embroidery threads, polyester machine embroidery threads. Hand and machine embroidery.

Seeing the rows of bales of hay in the summer and the fall remind me of the old harvest festival hymn. The farmer has persevered for another year despite rain, flood and pestilence and the harvest is safely gathered in.

   Above the Tree Line

16 X 28 inches

2014

Wet felted Merino wool, machine embroidery.

I never tire of that moment, hiking in the mountains, after the uphill slog, when the trail through dense conifers opens up as you reach the edge of the tree line.  I always let out a gasp on seeing the majestic mountains tower above you and the open mountain meadow stretch before you.  I have an overwhelming feeling of intense freedom and joy.  I have tried to capture that moment in this piece.  I have used felt to convey mountains softened by snow and haze.  Machine embroidery shows the relief of snow and rock together with dense forests.

    Foggy Blueberries

2012

95 X 20.5 inches

Silk organza, fulled recycled wool sweaters, cotton thread, machine quilting.

I wanted to make a quilt where the importance was placed on the interior, not the exterior of the piece. This depicts a field of blueberries in a swirling fog so the pinks and purples are subdued by the fogginess of the material and swirling machine quilting. I have used artistic license in that if you look at a blueberry from above, without the residual flower, it has a pentagon shape, not the hexagon I have used. Wool sweaters are synonymous with the Maritimes to me, as is the resourcefulness of mending and make do of the people.

Platonic Interfaces

12 X 12 inches

2012

Part of a series based on the book Sacred Geometry