I am a textile artist, specialising in landscape embroidery using free machining (note this does not involve the use of computerised programs at all) embellished with hand stitching. I was invited to have my first one-woman exhibition in 1995 (and another in 1998) by the curator of Watts Gallery in Compton (Surrey). There were 30 pictures in that first exhibition which was housed in the main gallery surrounded by the huge canvasses of the famous Victorian artist George Frederic Watts. Since then I have had a further one-woman exhibition in 2000 at Guildford House at the invitation of Guildford Borough Council. An article in Needlecraft Magazine in August 2000 summarised my work up to that date. I was also approached by the same magazine asking if they could feature an exhibition of my work at Earls Court that took place later that year. I have developed what I believe to be, a uniquely personal style that is deeply rooted in the local countryside and my response to it. I use a range of textile techniques to portray the ever-changing landscape, whether those changes are caused by natural, seasonal or man-made influences. I work from photographs that I then translate into a simple conventional watercolour in order to determine light, colour and texture and composition. The fabric itself is then painted with acrylics or silk paints to define the main features and then I stitch the trees, hedges, foliage etc. The size of my landscapes (excluding mounts and frames) varies from 5" (125mm) by 7" (175mm) up to A4 and the detail in them is frequently mistaken for a painting or even a photograph. We only recently moved to Somerset but I know that the landscape on my immediate doorstep will continue to inspire my work for many years to come. I teach landscape embroidery classes and undertake commissions.