Jo Smith United Kingdom

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My creative practice is as a textile artist, teacher and writer. My passion is for bringing nature to life in stitch and word, exploring how the disciplines intertwine with written and visual imagery. I teach the art of dyeing and printing with plants, flowers and foraged materials.

I am a creative textile artist and teacher working with dyes and inks made from plants, flowers and foraged materials. I draw and photograph wildlife, particularly birds and trees observed in my garden and from my imagination. I grow my own dye plants or forage in the local area to create background fabrics using a combination of dyeing and botanical printing. I develop each design with fabric collage, hand stitch using plant dyed threads, working intuitively as the artwork takes shape. I am fascinated with exploring and developing works based on how story or poem and stitch interweave and respond to each other. The stories/poems and stitch then live side by side, bringing new perspectives on nature to enjoy. Teaching natural dyeing and botanical printing workshops is enabling me to pass on my passion of natural dyes to others.