In 2007 I joined the Midlands Textile Forum looking for like-minded textile artists to engage and exhibit with. Little did I know that I would meet such a kindred spirit and that we would collaborate on a project that would become so life changing.
At the beginning of December I will be exhibiting a collection of work at Bilston Craft Gallery, produced in collaboration with Jane George, exploring our parallel journeys through motherhood and the effect that this has had on our own identities. The title of the exhibition is 'Making Sense' and indeed this was our initial aim through a process of mutual support and dialogue to make sense of the issues that we felt were facing us as we learnt how to retain or restore a sense of self without compromising our selfless devotion to our children.
Working on this for the last year has led to a lot of soul searching for me and this is ongoing as I am bringing together the thought processes into final pieces for the show.
I have learnt things about myself....some things that were difficult to face....others were unexpected and life-changing...some will only be fully realised in time. Not all of this will make it into the final pieces. It's been interesting working out the boundaries of exhibiting and how much you should express through your work without becoming too exposed or vulnerable. I wanted this exhibiton to be a cathartic experience and in some way come to terms with my sense of unease but as the show gets closer I realise that there are some things that cannot be shown, some elements of people that will always be hidden and that friendships are just as important as art in expressing and working through life's ups and downs.
