I like to experiment with different materials in order to convey ideas and a narrative that might not be so easily realised in paint. In 2018, I returned to a college project inspired by ancestry research that looks at class, genes, loss, social mobility and the notion of inherited trauma.
Trousseau. Mixed media including 13 pieces of linen, stitch, text, rhyme and a census-style document inside a vintage laundry box.
The piece follows the search for my lost ancestry and my maternal line – a line that transpires to be a string of char ladies, laundresses and maids all based in the part of East London where I grew up. Trousseau tells the story of my search, recurring patterns of loss and resilience, and the occasional surprising escape.
This WWII tea towel is stitched with the sad tale of what I know of my Mother, her Mother and her two Grandmothers.
Lost. Stitch on a 1930s/40s child’s bonnet. A portrait of my Mother.
The pieces below are part of a series that explores the innate energy that connects all living things in the natural world.
I have also explored Artist’s Books as a way of adding narrative to my portraits. The following pieces are part of a commission project for a friend who is a style writer
