Five is a group of artists who work mainly with textiles and are experienced teachers, curators and artists.
The artists are Susan Chapman, Penny Bicknell, Janet Mccallum, Caroline Bell and Hilary Marshall.
Hilary Marshall has a background in Patchwork and Quilting and her work explores the overlap between craft and art, combining textiles with paint and mixed media. In doing so she seeks to break down the barriers between traditional art forms and skilled craft practice in pursuit of a new aesthetic.
Penny’s work is intuitive, improvisational, with no preconceived idea or plan. Fabrics are stitched together, cut up and resewn continually until a cohesive, pleasing outcome is achieved. Hand embroidery is then added to enhance the design. She is attracted to bright, bold colours and abstract shapes which results in eye catching unique pieces.
Janet enjoys dyeing, painting and printing her own fabrics, allowing her a greater freedom and access to a true expression of her art through textiles. She is inspired by her surroundings having moved from very rural Dorset to the sunny south coast. The landscape and the sea bring new inspiration every day.
From a very early age Caroline has stitched and embroidered. Today she is endlessly fascinated by the marks that can be made by the application of plant materials to fabric and sometimes paper using a wide variety of methodologies. Where possible she uses recycled and second-hand fabric, transforming mundane household linens into complex and hopefully beautiful cloths.
Susan has taught mainly adults for many years, those just beginning their artistic journey through to graduates in their field. She has lectured, exhibited and judged throughout the UK and Europe. She makes observations of people and the relationships between them, the way they interact, and nearly always works with the human form, drawing, painting, printing, and stitching.
Free with gardens admission or Friends of Exbury membership.
