Findings

finding (noun) plural noun: findings

1. the action of finding someone or something.
2. information discovered as the result of an inquiry or investigation.

Collecting small items of interest is something I’ve done all my life. These treasures formed part of my way to understand and study the natural world around me. I see such objects that find their way into my pockets as tangible links to the places I visit.

Once in my possession the object becomes part of ‘a collection’. This could be a group of objects found in a particular location or a group linked together by their material or form. Such collections become a personal source of interest and wonder long after they are made. They form a starting point for imaginative exploration, further study and visual representation through photography and drawing. Time and circumstance seem to pick out certain objects right for incorporation into new ‘constructed’ forms; making a structure around or in response to an object. Other ‘found things’ spark off attempts to ‘mend’ or attach to them stitched or woven add-ons. This invariably follows the question: what will happen if I do this? Or, I wonder if it is possible to do that… By engaging, manipulating and experimenting I follow a line of enquiry. It is here that I learn about specific properties, boundaries and possibilities. And so begins a collaboration between object and artist.

Findings showed at the Knitting and Stitching Shows 2016 and then during July and August 2017 at The Ropewalk Gallery, Barton-upon-Humber. A publication to accompany the exhibition is available here.