I’m a mid career artist working mainly in textiles, mixed media and printmaking, utilizing where ever possible, offcuts, scraps, recycled clothing and other by-products to create something interesting and thought provoking. Eco and indigo dyeing have appealed to me as a truly alchemical process. I marvel how nature and other invisible variables intervene and thwart attempts to reproduce a piece, despite meticulous planning.
It is found objects which bring me most joy and inspiration: scraps of cloth found at the roadside, bits of wool stuck on fences, small bones, rusty tools, seaweed, which tell stories of a past existence. Sometimes I sew pieces of cloth together to make a wrap or garment. Other times I print, sew and collage these fragments to tell an alternative story. The narrative is endless with threads and lines weaving their stories through my work.
I’ve also always been intrigued by seemingly small and insignificant creatures such as insects and crustaceans and the phenomenal part they play in our existence. I am very conscious of the materials I choose to work with and the impact they have on these small creatures both in the manufacturing, creative and disposal processes. As an avid beekeeper I utilise the by-product of the honey harvest and make my own wax encaustic paints and mediums. Not only is this a wonderful medium to work with but smells amazing and I get bee visits while I work.
In addition, being a lifelong coastal dweller heavily influences my art practice and I’m frequently immersed in the ocean; observing, feeling, allowing myself to be carried along on a rhythmic journey of swell, swimming and currents. As a Scottish Highlander I am intuitively drawn to Celtic cultural symbolism in relation to the land and ocean. My name “Rona” is The Selkie, so I’m attached to the sea by birth!