A textile retrospective at The Setting Gallery, Nailsworth, by Sarah Brooker.
The exhibition spans the years from her MA at Goldsmiths College and machine embroidered works, through to more current work as a fine art feltmaker.
Exploring the capacity for this flexible textile medium to ‘draw’ with fibres, Sarah is showing framed and unframed works, and more recent ‘wrapped’ felt. These vary in scale from small framed and wrapped pieces to large wall hangings. She creates to commission from her studio at Three Storeys, Nailsworth, at Minchinhampton and her house at Whiteshill,
She is also showing a small selection of paintings, drawings and appliqued works made during lockdown, in a show entitled ‘Very Still Lives’. This will be a smaller shared exhibition in the cafe (The Plot) with Jacqueline Mair.
Jacqui and Sarah first met as teaching colleagues at Portsmouth University foundation studies 30 years ago. There they formed a close friendship which has endured the years and created a focus for both during lockdown.
Jacqui is an illustrator working with print and paper collage.
They decided to focus on a very ‘still life’ of 2020… which for Sarah meant she returned to painting and fabric applique works.
About Sarah
Sarah studied Fine Art at Portsmouth Poly (she is a a contemporary and friend of Grayson Perry) followed by a Textile Art post grad at Goldsmiths, London. She has had many touring shows in the UK with Alice Kettle, amongst other textile artists.
She was resident artist at Battersea Art Centre and later at New Brewery Arts, Cirencester.
Later still, from her studio at Hallidays Mill, Chalford, Sarah created commissions and works for
- ‘Deeply Felt’ at the Corinium Museum, Cirencester ( with Celestino Valenti )
- ‘Collections’ show at the Museum In The Park, Stroud and Brook St Gallery Hay-On-Wye
- an exhibition at WWT Slimbridge
Recently relocating back to Stroud valleys from Ledbury, Sarah has found inspiration for many of her current works in the seasons and land there. Some were made for her show ‘Primavera’ at Prema Arts in 2019, exploring the four seasons. Others are more domestic imagery, such as China and Fans…a fascinating challenge to depict in fibre. Drawing with wool continues to inspire….
With many working drawings, she is hoping her recent book will coincide with this show.