Collection: Body : Stitch : Soul : Sow

“Make do and mend” has always been an important facet of my life. In my childhood, I was fascinated by the glass jar of buttons my paternal grandmother kept on her window cill in Planet Street, Cardiff. Each visit, I would empty the buttons onto the kitchen table oil-cloth to enjoy their shape, colour and texture. My maternal grandmother was always knitting and I loved to root through her leftover threads and wools for knitting, embroidery and crotchet projects of my own. Starting with choosing buttons and knitting tiny jumpers for my Sindy doll, my desire to create led me on a journey to sew my own clothes, study fashion design at college, visit makers and manufacturers across the world, learn the craft of ceramics and now to collect and curate. 

This journey of looking, finding, studying, collecting, using and making is a path which all artists are familiar with and embrace. One of the real joys of planning an exhibition is visiting artists and makers in their studio – to see their workspaces, the objects and pieces that surround and inspire them, the materials and tools they use and the elements they pull together to produce their pieces. There is something exciting in seeing a painter use cloth, thread or found objects in their paintings, or seeing a textile artist weaving metal, paint and fibre into a sculptural form. 

The artists brought together for this exhibition have taken their journeys and their passions entwining them into the body and soul of their work. It will be an exhibition to delight the spirit and inspire the hands.