Sharon Turner West Yorkshire, United Kingdom

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Sharon is a textile-led artist whose practice involves experimentation with different techniques and media and following those “what if?” moments. Sharon is process driven; it is when she starts working with the materials that her ideas start to clarify, responding and thinking with her hands rather than advance planning.

She uses hand and machine stitch, printing, needle felting, folding, pleating, and structural processes, choosing the ones that feel best suited for each individual piece. Movement, layers, and the sense of things not quite seen are a feature of Sharon’s work. Pieces are often intended to move between different states, such as the cloak/shelter in Overwhelmed (2026) or portray visible and invisible memories, through a crafted rucksack in We Carry Our Memories (2024) Through Sharon’s time studying for the Textile Practice degree course at Bradford School of Art, she has gained a greater insight into what motivates her as an artist, and the confidence to follow her ideas by providing the framework to research, plan and reflect on her creative practice. In recent years Sharon’s work has been largely autobiographical. The act of making has prompted her to reflect on past and present events in her life, exploring many of the emotions and experiences that have affected her. This making, and the resultant pieces reflect a positive step in self-awareness, understanding and moving forward. Recent works have moved more towards fine art, however Sharon retains a strong interest in translating these into textile surface designs, as reflected in the woollen jacquard fabric created for Overwhelmed. Sharon is at the final stage of the BA (Hons) Textile Practice degree course at Bradford School of Art. Originally from Cheshire she now lives in Marsden, West Yorkshire where the surrounding countryside and the still present, but sadly inactive, textile mills both inspire her, and provide a sense of calm and belonging.