Textile Study Group

'Collage' [from the French verb to glue]: work made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. You will be looking closely at details from your own chosen subject matter, then re-working areas by extracting shape, pattern, colour, marks and surface texture to create new separate elements. These will include drawings, prints and transferred images, which you will then 'collage' to make a new whole. A variety of joining methods, such as stitching, pinning, stapling, taping, and wiring, will become an integral part of the work. You will then be layering, re-working, deconstructing and repairing to create a visually exciting finished piece or a series of smaller samples.

Shelley worked as a graphic designer in the television industry for many years before re-training to become a teacher of art and design in secondary schools. After studying City and Guilds Embroidery, she began incorporating stitch in her mixed media work. She now combines her own artistic practice with teaching groups on a freelance basis. She places great emphasis on research, observation, sketchbook work and experimentation, encouraging students to find their own visual language and way of working.