I was first drawn to the practical process of hand weaving when I took a course in textiles at what was then the West Surrey College of Art and Design. Since then I have followed the path of a Craftsman Hand Weaver attending fairs, exhibitions and trade shows.
In 1982 I moved to North Wales where I was demonstrating in the Bodeilio Weaving Centre on Anglesey. A few years later I set up the Seion Weaving Centre in Llanberis. We had 4 textile designers working in a shared studio that was open to visitors, a permanent exhibition telling the Story of Weaving from its earliest form to the present day, a gallery with changing exhibitions and a gift shop. We also sold looms, yarns, fibres and spinning wheels.
We all learned a great deal from this experience and with new opportunities becoming available to each of us, we closed the center to follow our individual artist path.
I continued to weave, teach and exhibit in between other jobs. During this time I began asking myself how I could help people who wanted to weave but found traditional methods too intimidating. A friend introduced me to SAORI – and there was my answer. With its simplicity – no rules, no mistakes, all encompassing approach – I knew this was where I wanted to be.
So began my own SAORI journey… to Izumi, Osaka to study and train with Kenzo Jo, director of SAORI no Mori, and back to North Wales to plan what was to become SAORImôr. No rules, no mistakes, no regrets!
SAORImôr opened in spring 2014, the first registered SAORI freeweaving studio in Wales.
As my own practice as an Artist Facilitator has developed and changed over the years I have learned many things about the creative process, its value and its place in the lives of all of us. Not everyone believes they are creative, yet each and every one of us has intuition, and it is with intuition that we relate to the world around us, our relationship with it and with each other. SAORI helps us find our own way.