Interestingly Jane centred her talk around a number of varied landscapes focusing on what they have meant to her as she moved through them. She started her talk by telling us a little about her background, with a career in museums. In 2007 she became a freelance textile artist and now has a studio in the Artery Studios Worcester WR1 3BD.
Jane noted the importance of memory association and sharing experiences when responding to Landscapes. She referenced a spring flowers walk in May 21 when emerging from lockdown. She produced a large collage which she then cut into pieces which were layered with other fabrics and worked into. She also based pieces completed later that year focusing on the landscape of her own garden. One is pictured below and included her brother’s silk ties. Her works are not literally representational but capture mood and personal response.
In other pieces Jane drew on the landscape of North Norfolk thinking about the edge land between water and solid earth. She has thought about how the landscape has been shaped over time and on how it changes with the seasons. She has also drawn on the pattern of fields in Dorset, using indigo dyed scraps and scrip and lots of fabric scraps. She often stitches from the back with repetitive stitches like running and blanket which leave stitches visible on the front.
Travel diaries are an important part of Jane’s work. She travelled to Antarctica and took a collaged roll that she stitched into as the diary of that journey. She uses machine stitching to hold pieces down, but likes the rhythm of hand stitching. Jane also kept a stitch diary in a trip to the Falklands. This diary was completed on the boat each day and is now preserved in a large padded journal, seen below with some other pieces. Jane’s talk was well illustrated with slides and we were able look closely at all of her work. She was clear and engaging as a speaker and the links she makes with landscape were particularly interesting. You can see her work at a shared exhibition taking place from 19th to 23rd June 2024 in the Worcester studio spaces mentioned above. She can also be found at @jatextileart.
We also held our usual raffle with the addition of two lovely cushions donated by Betty and a large bag made by Marion Plumb and small bag made by Margaret all pictured below.
Our next meeting is the summer party on 8th July 2024, with refreshments and treats provided by the committee. Our brief AGM and the summer competition will also feature, together with a demonstration of hardanger embroidery, by one of our members, Ruth. The raffle colour is pink. We will get back our own travelling book at the meeting and be able to look during the evening at all of the books contributed to from this round. Next years programme will also be available for us to look forward to during our August summer break.
Birmingham Embroidery and Textile Art 