Clattering

Artist Statement

Julie creates drawings and paintings with machine thread, mostly onto furnishing fabrics and mainly using animals as inspiration, often using childhood memories as a starting point. She is inspired by a love of textures and layers and, although this can be achieved with paint, believes that stitched art can really encourage the viewer to speculate on how the work was achieved. The speed and capricious nature of the sewing machine, when used in this unconventional way, reflects characteristics of her subjects.  Threads are purposely left loose over or around the image to allow the illusion of more depth and movement. 

Through careful observation and drawing studies, she loves to give her animals a ‘stare’, almost anthropomorphic qualities, which invites her audience to recall their own memories or relationship which they have formed with animals, domestic or wild and also to hopefully encourage them to perceive the characters of the animals they encounter.

Julie has been fascinated by corvids for a long time, watching them and observing their interactions within their flock. Knowing that Jackdaws form strong pair bonds with their mates and are renowned for their devotion towards their partner has encouraged her to observe their strictly monogamous relationship more closely capturing the adoration between these loyal birds in her work Clattering.

Using her Bernina 1008 machine Julie seeks opportunities to investigate how stitched marks respond to differing surfaces; pulling or embossing a piece of work in sympathy with the material. Lace and sequins have been layered over hand printed calico and secured with free-motion stitch drawing to create Clattering. She wants the viewer to get close to the work to observe the directions of the stitches that create form and the range of materials that are layered on one another.