“If one were to imagine a workshop household, one would envision a situation where most, if not all things were made in a more imaginative and beautiful way than in quotidian life”

I love the idea of the workshop household described by Mark Rosenthal, and believe in the importance of our interaction with materials, texture, pattern, and the handmade. Recent research evoked memories of home and childhood. Decorative patterns on wallpapers and fabrics reminded me how important patterns were to me as a child, providing endless starting points for day dreams and imaginative, sometimes fearful, scenarios. I remembered how the familiar furniture and objects in my grandparent’s houses and my own acted as an assortment of scenery and props for games and stories to be built around.

The home-made object, creates another layer of significance and forms a part of personal and family narratives, making links and connections through generations.

My work continues to explore the interplay between screen-printed and embroidered textures, colour, mark, drawn and stitched lines. Recently playing with imagery and ideas springing from our relationship with familiar domestic objects, everyday pastimes, the meaning of ‘home’ and home-making activities. Abstract and semi-figurative forms combined with pattern and texture present an ambiguous and sometimes absurd narrative.

Using Irish machine, and hand embroidery the work employs a combination of traditional techniques, such as applique, patchwork, needle-punch and screen print. Forms, are hand drawn, paper cut, found or photographic; layered and collaged with abstract and semi figurative appliquéd, needle-punched and printed imagery. Embroidered lines and richly embroidered areas create further layers of texture and tension. Sustainability is a priority, materials a mixture of natural organics such as cotton, hemp, linen and wool combined with found/recycled/vintage materials. Embroidered elements use plant dyed wool yarn, cotton, alpaca, silk and linen.

“Figure” is an exhibition featuring painting in which the human form is the principal feature or inspiration.

Artists have drawn, painted and carved the image of the human figure in many diverse ways since the first stone age painters depicted primitive hunting figures on cave walls. Life drawing is the classical method of learning how to draw and most fine art experts consider this to be the truest and most authentic way of learning how to depict the three dimensional shape and contours of the human body.

The human figure constitutes the fundamental element not only of portraiture, but also of historical, religious, mythological, and genre imagery. Figure painting can register a likeness, but it can also serve as a vehicle for conveying narrative and expressing emotion. With impressionism and symbolism, the figure became less a representational vehicle and more an aesthetic device by which artists demonstrated the virtuosity of their paint handling and evoked mood.

The diverse work in this exhibition illustrates the ongoing artistic endeavor to explore the nuances of representing the human figure.