Three artists

Jae Maries
Jae Maries trained as a painter, doing a degree in Fine Art at Reading University before enrolling on a Post Graduate Diploma at Bright Polytechnic. She uses a sketchbook to record daily life using abstracted marks, which she later translates into larger artworks. Using simple shapes and colours, she makes her designs first in paper collage, then uses applique and hand and machine embroidery to interpret her theme. Her work, however, is unplanned and evolves through the various processes which she employs.

 Deep Freeze

 Roller Bladers

Jae is a member of the 62 Group of Textile Artists and draws inspiration for her work from figures in the environment and from her travels around the world. She has commissioned pieces hanging in a number of public places, is a freelance lecturer and tutor, exhibits internationally and has written a book entitled 'Contrasting Elements'

 Her work 'Turbulent Seas' particularly relates to this module as it tells the story of an English fishing port, describing the decline of the fishing industry.

(62group.org.uk)

Barbara Lee Smith
Barbara Lee Smith is an American mixed media artist who creates large scale works of impressionistic landscapes and abstracts, always based closely on the environment, and celebrating nature. Born in New Jersey in 1938, she studied home economics at University, then married and moved to New York. Only at the age of 40 did she complete a Masters degree in Fine Art and begin to think of herself as a professional artist.
           



She was particularly impressed by the work of Jackson Pollock and Kandinsky and returned to college in the 1970's to study mixed media. Since graduating she has worked as a studio artist, first spraying dyes onto cotton or silk fabrics, then adding texture with multiple layers of fabric and machine stitch - always stitching from the back of the work so she can use rayon thread in the bobbin.
She describes her work as a three stage process of painting, collage and drawing. 

Her relevance to this module results from Barbara's belief that creation arises from destruction and sees this in the environment as well as her work - 'the tide hauling detritus out to sea, transforming it and sending it back to the land'. She sees beauty in the midst of the mess, which is what we are attempting to achieve in this module, making an attractive piece of work which represents the devastation of environmental pollution.

(www.barbaraleesmith.com and textileartist.org)

Sandra Meech
Originally from Canada and now living in Somerset, Sandra Meech is a quilt artist who uses photo imagery, drawing and collage as a starting point for her work. Sandra trained as a fine artist and illustrator and was working as a graphic designer and art director in magazine publishing when she moved to London. A member of a number of textile groups including Studio 21, South West Textile Group and the international Quilt Art, she now exhibits widely and teaches in addition to having produced a whole series of books on creativity and design as well as art quilting.

'Near North'

'Meltdown'

'What Were You Thinking?'

 

Inspired by nature, her works entitled 'Near North', which highlights the threats faced by woodland of climate change and urban sprawl, and 'Meltdown' in particular resonate with this module. Meltdown is a series of textile pieces highlighting the melting ice in Arctic Canada, the final piece in the series being entitled 'What Were You Thinking?' shows Mother Nature looking down at the melting ice.

(www.arttextilesmadeinbritain.co.uk; www.sandrameech.com; studio21textileart.co.uk)