This piece uses a hexagon as a recurring theme for the stitching, which has an obvious reference to bees and honeycomb.
The blue beading represents rain drops – we have had such a lot of cold, wet weather over the spring that it has delayed the flowering season and possibly impacted on our bees.
The hexagon pattern is known as the Kikko pattern in Japanese art, hence the title of this piece, because I have always loved orientalism which I try to bring into my work.
Much of my recent work has focused on the combined use of paint and stitch, initially on fabric but also now on paper. Sometimes I do the stitching by hand, as in this piece, and other times I use free-motion machine embroidery, sometimes both. I have always loved working with textiles and paint and really like to combine them both, something that I am keen to explore more in future.