Out of the Fold member Nicola had the opportunity to speak at the ArtConTex event which was held at The Minories gallery in Colchester the first weekend in October. The following is her reflection on the event and taking part.
ArtConTex was an amazing event that pulled together 20 different textile artists, groups or individuals from the local region. It was a great opportunity for us all to spend time catching up with friends and also developing new contacts within the textile world. The exhibitions displayed a broad range of skills and practices and allowed for time to chat and learn from each other. Alongside the exhibition was a programme of talks given by a number of people who were exhibiting.
I had a 30 minute session where I talked about my love and work with nature, seeing the potential of nature to develop textile pieces while taking care in my work to reduce the harm I cause to nature. Through natural dyes and working with plant fibres I have learnt to enjoy the slow process of these textile pieces. After the talk there was time for discussion which created the opportunity to share and learn from each other.
I really enjoyed the time to share my work but also share in other peoples practice, being inspired to continue to work alongside nature.
More information on talks and workshops are on my website nwtextileart.co.uk
