Karen collects the memories and stories of ordinary women’s lives and these inspire the pieces that she creates. Textile art helps her to make connections between the history of these women and her own experiences . Extensive background research gives context and detail that add further depth. Karen creates layers of fabric, print and stitch to communicate that the ordinary and the everyday is rich in history and experience.
Dyeing and printing cloth is exciting for Karen. She was introduced to natural dyes on the Advanced Stitch course and has been experimenting with different plants. Karen develops motifs for printing, often based on everyday objects. Making patterns from those motifs creates new shapes and interest. Adding stitch enhances the basic motif with detail and texture. Text is often included because a phrase or comment from her research is often the initial inspiration for a piece.
Karen is currently developing work based on some notebooks and sketchbooks that belonged to her grandmother. There are recipes, shopping lists and a sketchbook containing illustrations of plants that her grandmother made in the 1920s. Using the pen and ink drawings to make prints, Karen then adds stitch to add colour and detail.
The pieces I create, stitching together fragments of memories and stories, help me to make sense of the world
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