I have been asked to explain the reason why my creations are linear, peaceful and calming.
Many years ago I was encouraged to have a dyslexia assessment, so with trepidation I went along. It was a really horrible, frightening and emotional experience. The result was 12 out of 10!
One of the main problems I have had all my life is trying to read, trying to unscramble words on the page. One of the many experiences I had during the tests was having a pink overlay placed on a page of writing – Wow! All the writing was suddenly stationary and there seemed to be so much more space on the page, not only between the lines but also on the sides of the page.
It was suddenly clear that the reason I have could not hold information in my brain was that it spent it’s whole time fully engaged unscrambling the mess in front of me. It is a very frustrating daily hurdle but something I have learned to live with. The dyslexia tests helped me to understand my struggle, but obviously nothing would ever cure me. In fact, the glasses they tried to fit me with only caused me more distress. They were meant to help me unscramble the world. But, having spent my entire life seeing things scrambled, having it suddenly ‘unscrambled’ was as confusing and frightening as life was before.
All my life I had managed to negotiate my way around, I had even become a very successful entrepreneur while at the same time being completely unemployable! I realised I needed to find a way to express myself in my world as I knew it.
Out of all this mayhem I finally found peace through my art.
The natural materials I am drawn to are unbelievably beautiful and tactile – the cotton, the shiny cream silk, the hemp and the linen all surround me in my studio. I have been like a magpie over the years. When I start to create a piece I collect threads, lavender sticks (by the way, they have four flat sides) and from somewhere my creations flow, peacefully.
My partner is a Crystal Healer and she taught me how we attract the balancing power of the seven-chakra colours into our lives. So with angst I entered the world of colour. At first it was again chaos for me, but now I believe they not only help me but others as well.
I have been very blessed to be a creative person. Words cannot explain how my style has brought many joyful experiences over the years.