Jill Sharpe

I am an artist based in Norfolk working in stitched textiles. I make wall hung pieces using a variety of surface treatments to interpret my ideas and use thread as line to accent and augment surfaces. I exhibit throughout Eat Anglia and also work to commission.

I use both hand and machine stitch to create my work using mostly silk and sometimes cotton fabric. These are often hand dyed and printed to create my own fabrics providing the exact colours and effects that I require for my work. I develop a variety of surface treatments to interpret my ideas sometimes layering sheer fabrics to create a ground that I can stitch in to. My interest in texture and movement and the importance of line are dominant features of the pieces I make.

My work is informed by the world around me and over the past year I have made work in response to the challenges of lockdown and the emotions generated by life's limitations and restrictions. I am interested in exploring the tensions and conflicts that occur in many situations and finding my own way to respond to them.

My early training as a dressmaker and subsequent interest in patchwork and quilting has led to my work in stitched textiles. My degree in Visual Studies from Norwich University College of the Arts has expanded my approach to my art and given me the skills to seek a variety of interpretations of my ideas.