Meet Steph, our Bill Pringle Art Award winner
24/11/2023
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"I can’t imagine not sewing; embroidery is very therapeutic."
Steph has always been a passionate artist. She fell ill at 16 and was unable to complete her A Levels. Instead, she went to college to study graphic design and illustration.
In the last 10 years she's become more into embroidery. She finds it a relaxing activity to focus her mind on when other things are going on in her head.
She is about to start a Masters degree in illustration at Falmouth and hopes there will be opportunities to expand on her embroidery interest there to open more doors. She is also working on an illustrated guide to electro convulsive therapy, a treatment she has had two courses of. The guide is designed to take away the stigma and fear of the treatment. She’s been working with staff at the hospital on the guide, and when complete it will be made available to patients.
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"For me, inclusivity is when individuals or organisations include you no matter how difficult your situation is. It is the friend that embraces you and lets you know you matter, regardless of how you feel or behave. It is the organisation that does not discriminate against you, no matter how terrifying your diagnosis. I'd also like to make a note about the medium I have used. I use textiles in most of my art work, and enjoy using stitches in an unconventional manner. I think it is really important for embroidery to be given the same status as 'fine' arts such as oil painting. Seen as traditional 'women's work', I would love my work to be seen more widely, so other women doing textile arts can feel that their work is worthwhile and regarded as beautiful. Sewing is a really therapeutic process and I hope to spread the message that it is both valued and an intensely beneficial activity."