Alison is a textile artist who incorporates and experiments with other art forms. Textile arts utilised include; hand piecing and quilting, freeform embroidery, felting, spinning, knitting, sewing, mending, natural dyeing and printing, tatting (a form of lace making).
Textiles has an inherent interest because it is both ubiquitous and invisible. We are clothed in textiles from birth to death and they are such an integral part of our daily lives, yet we barely notice how much we rely on them. We value the ‘high end’ textiles, yet forget and dismiss the value that, primarily, women have provided to households and communities over generations. These textiles warm us both physically and emotionally.
Practice focuses on the traditional textile arts, bringing a new perspective and valuing the creative process of those who have come before us by incorporating both traditional skills and existing materials. Part of valuing the skills of other craftspeople is the ongoing practice of mending textiles as a way of respecting and acknowledging the hands of other makers- particularly those who are invisible.
Current projects include several ongoing series utilising the form of the quilt to tell stories of personal emotional journeys, utilising existing and found materials.
Alison’s journey to textile arts was not traditional- it wasn’t one learnt at home from older family members. She has always been interested in the history of women’s creative and home practices, but it wasn’t until she was an adult that she was exposed to these- first in the studio of a friend and later through workshops and lots of personal research. This is where her hyper-focus on new interests has really been beneficial!
For more information on current projects or to discuss opportunities to work together, please email or visit the Facebook and Instagram links.
