Tapestries

Seahenge

Seahenge is a hand woven tapestry, a representation of a Bronze Age timber enclosure revealed through coastal erosion in 1998 at Holme-next-the-Sea, Norfolk.

When discovered the timber circle comprised of 55 split oak posts with an upturned stump at the centre. The outer posts, were found to be in a specific order except for one, shown on the left of the tapestry. This is represented in the tapestry by 28 front and 27 rear posts, woven in a linear form with the entrance situated on the right. The purpose of the central upturned stump is believed to be for funerary practices or ritual. A centrally placed gold yarn, running in-between the posts signifies the upturned stump and acknowledges a reverence towards the mystical beliefs held by those peoples. Originally the structure would have been built on salt marsh away from the sea, the waves of the marsh can be seen behind the posts.

This ancient structure re-invented, results in a modern day graphic hand woven tapestry. It enables a window into the past, which helps to keep ancient stories alive now and for the future.

This work is to be displayed at:
Picking up the Thread: The Past, Present and Future of Tapestry during 2025 – 2026 as part of the
British Tapestry Group 20th Anniversary Exhibition 16 August – 4 October 2025 – Gracefield Art Centre, Dumfries
20 October – 14 February 2026 – Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh
2-18 March 2026 – Market Hall, Devonport, Plymouth
13-25 July 2026 – Morley Gallery, London

Experiment in Arsenic

Experiment in Arsenic is named after a colour produced by a high-end, well-known household paint supplier – it’s a great colour, one of my favourites.

When photocopying the original blue and orange design I found that the copier was out of certain ink colours. I went ahead and the resultant print appeared in shades of arsenic green, blue/black and white. The colourway came about completely by accident. I loved it, so I had to weave it!

Experiment in Arsenic Nov 2021

Lowestoft

I am currently inspired by what can be seen fleetingly in the movement of water to produce abstract tapestries. I enjoy swimming and whilst doing so often find myself drawn to the patterns on the surface of the water, on the floor of the pool, as well as pools of water, oceans and sea-side bays – they have all been inspirational in the creation of my tapestries that predominately use flowing undulating forms.

Recent work ‘Lowestoft’ is more geometric, influenced by the work of artists Gunta Stolzl and Annie Albers is a break away from these flowing forms, attempting to capture water qualities but in a different way.

I use a variety of fibres: wool, silk, nylon, raffia and yarns some of which I knit and then weave with. I select yarns, which I feel, will be sympathetic to the theme helping to translate the images into textile pieces.

Ripple

Surface Tension

I am delighted to announce that my tapestry ‘Surface Tension‘ has been selected for the 2019/20 Cordis – Tapestry Showcase.

The showcase is held each year in The Scottish Cafe and Restaurant at the National Galleries of Scotland and will open on 27^th November and run until mid January. The object of the showcase is to encourage emerging weavers, and to celebrate and sell their work in a venue of national prestige.

This is what the judges said: ‘We were delighted to receive a huge number of submissions this year and were hugely impressed by the quality. Less than a quarter of the submitted works made it to the final exhibition, and the works that were selected represent what we feel is a diverse cross section of talent in the amateur weaving community, by budding artists at the earliest stages in their careers.’