I design create and sell hand painted silk scarves and ties. I was a teacher for most of my working life, but art was always my passion. I loved creating batik pictures by drawing with hot wax and seeing it resist the dye. When I left college I began selling my batiks at the Bluecoat Display Centre in Liverpool. They were framed abstract designs on cotton fabric. Later I started doing landscapes on silk, hence the name ‘Scenic Silks’. I also painted large silk square scarves with all kinds of designs including astrological signs, dolphins and cats.
On ties I was asked to paint a wide range of subjects including puffins, canal boats and cruise liners! It was quite a challenge to squeeze the details into such a small space. Now all my designs on scarves and ties are abstract, but occasionally I paint scenes for a commission.
I draw inspiration for my textile art from natural forms such as the sandstone rocks that form an outcrop in the Dee Estuary near where I live. The Hilbre Islands and surrounding landscapes continue to provide a rich resource for my sketches, that are interpreted into batiks on paper, or paintings in other media.
