Painting, Wool & Me
So a little bit about me! I grew up on a farm near Coupar Angus in Perthshire.. Growing up in the countryside gave me an appreciation of nature and the landscape we live in. Country life evolves around the different seasons. The land and sky are forever changing. The colours evolving within. As a young girl all I wanted to do was to become an artist.... but decided upon a different path after leaving school.
I graduated from Heriot Watt University in Galashiels with a Bsc. in Clothing Studies. My first job after graduating was working for a bridalwear company in Edinburgh making bespoke bridalwear, a job a absolutely loved! I then moved to Langholm, Dumfries & Galloway in the mid 90's. It was only supposed to be for a year or two.... but I never moved away. For twenty four of those years I followed a career in clothing as a Designer initially and then as a Garment Technologist.
In 2009 I picked up my paintbrushes again after a gap of nearly 15 years. In 2010 I exhibited my work for the first time in a solo exhibition in Kirkcudbright. Dreams do come true they may just take a little longer than you first expect! Life has come full circle...
I am a mixed media artist and I am inspired by land/seascapes and floral influences. With much of that inspiration coming from my native Perthshire, Angus & Dumfriesshire. I work in oils, acrylics and wool fibres. My felt art and craft pieces are created by using a combination of wet and needle felting techniques. I mainly work with dyed merino wool tops, adding silk fibres, wool nepps, locks and Angelina fibres for texture and effect. I also add embroidery stitching both by hand and machine to create further interest. The overall look that can be achieved is exciting and effective and in many ways are similar to painting. My felted pieces are a happy combination of my love of painting and years spent working with textiles and colour.
I have exhibited in a number of exhibitions over the years in Perthshire, Angus, Dumfries & Galloway and Cumbria as well as attending various art/craft events. I run a series of workshops both full and half day events in wool felting mainly in Langholm. But I am happy to travel further afield to! Commissions are always welcome.
I hope you enjoy viewing my work as much as I have creating them!
Ann