2025 Five Years On: A Journey of Creativity, Connection and Colour

It’s hard to believe that five years have passed years that have been full and rich with travel, making, creating, and the publication of three books.

One of those, Improv Embroidery, emerged during the stillness of COVID—a time that offered the perfect opportunity to reflect on my creative process and explore the idea of breaking free from patterns and unwritten rules. These rules—passed down by teachers, mothers, and grandmothers—are rarely written down, yet they often shape our thinking in rigid ways. They may not be revolutionary, but in our minds, they become set in stone.

Recognising and then letting go of these internalised expectations can be liberating. It’s in that space that creativity flows, and we begin to move from craft toward art. Contemplation Cloth was my second book and was a way to revisit and expand on ideas that felt condensed in my first book. I wanted to be generous with exercises and thoughts—something to spark the creative mindset in every reader. Too often, embroidery books are formulaic: beautiful to look at, but light on engagement. I wanted to offer more doing and still have engaging images.

In collaboration with Dr. Sharon Peoples, I co-curated and celebrated a national exhibition titled Exuberance, which showcased the vibrancy and diversity of Australian hand embroidery artists. Our aim was to honour colour, creativity, and the extraordinary talents of local makers. The project culminated in both a book (Exuberance) and a stunning exhibition at the Canberra Craft + Design Gallery in the heart of the city. The opening night was a resounding success, and the warm response reaffirmed the strong and growing appreciation for textile art.

Over these past few years, I’ve also had the privilege of teaching across Australia—meeting and working with women who are eager to move beyond traditional patterns and develop their own creative voices. From Albany and Perth to Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, each workshop has been a reminder of the power of community and the deep desire for creative freedom. A personal highlight was being invited to teach at the Halls Gap Textile Retreat, which brings together over 300 participants and around 30 tutors from across the globe—an energising and inspiring experience.

Internationally, a visit to South Africa offered a chance to connect with a group of women who immediately resonated with my call to let go of those “pesky rules” and embrace their own creative instincts. The workshop and conversation that followed was a reminder that this desire to break free and make meaning through textiles is universal.

I am not exploring technology combined with embroidery plus soft sculptures that use recycled objects and left over fabrics still in storage boxes and wanted to be aired. This is a new direction for me, but an embroidered contemplation cloth travels with me everywhere as i stich and travel.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

2020

This has been a challenging year for everyone. No doubt it has changed my thinking and processes as we adapt to being close to home and thinking about us as a community rather than individual actions. This time has been a positive experience for me as an artist. I am concentrating on the process rather than the outcome. The observation of small things around me and with each stitch placed with purpose and thought. This form of stitch meditation has lead to new works with a floral theme. So many topics are too painful and difficult , social, political and environmental. I leave these to younger and mentally stronger artist to address in their work.

For my the act of making is enough. The works have been so successful that my confidence of the work has grown and I am now competing for space in various art exhibitions . I stitch daily. And the results are paying off as I develop new ideas and techniques.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

2019

A year of travel and recognition. Completing and extraordinary artist textile residency in Iceland and then to come home as a finalist in the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize was a highlight of my artist journey.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

2018

I live in two worlds.

As a textile artist I live under the Dome of Happiness, a tiny world of creativity and expression, choosing embroidery for my social commentary to rally against the real world when I was once a business owner.

Small businesses are challenged daily by government red tape designed to hamper success, combined with this new tend of political correctness gone a step too far, unethical corporate behaviors, and political leaders who display misogynist conduct better suited to the 1700’s.

My latest works exemplifies the continuing daily code in our corporate world where unacceptable behaviors are deemed perfectly acceptable in the pursuit of financial greed. Our legal system ties us up in knots and yet allows repugnant conduct by our political and business leaders.

Through my weapon of choice, the needle and thread, I remind you not to be complacent or blindly accept bad behavior, unethical business practice and unintelligent PC practices because we are too busy or fear legal ramifications.

+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+

On Lighter Note...

These themes are tough and complex so my needle along with my mind often wanders across a piece of cloth exploring colour, and making more positive observations about daily life, from the new friends you meet in a dog park, to describing the wonderful poetry written by my twin brother, in thread.