Karin Millson

I create mixed media art that is predominantly textile-based. I have worked in this field for about 25 years; before that I was a micropalaeontologist. I began working in textiles by studying for a City and Guilds Master-craftsman Qualification. During the latter stages of the course I became particularly interested in using diverse materials in innovative ways. It is not unusual for me to incorporate cans, ribbon, plastic bags and embroidery thread in the same piece. I have lived in several different countries and have been challenged to seek out source materials and inspiration in these colourful and sometimes challenging environments. Thus, I have worked with subjects as varied as Omani ceremonial swords, African beadwork of the Ndebele and the abundant and colourful life in the coral sea. My art pieces have utilised mud, goat skins, porcupine spines and fibre optic cable, to name a few more obscure materials. I wish to continue learning and improving my techniques and applying them in original ways. Recently, I have worked with potassium permanganate in hand-made paper forming and sculpting and I am excited to be creating sculptural forms in many ways, using many welded plastics, shibori and layered platelets that I create on the sewing machine and build into contoured sculptures. I am very interested in evolving new methods but not at the expense of good design. Living in highly varied cultures has stimulated my interest in photography, this I use, initially, as a recording tool for my work. I love macro photography and am awakened to colour, shape and line from such detailed imagery. My art works often lend themselves to similar photography after their completion such that I produce abstract digital prints on canvas that emphasize the textures, colours and stitchery in my hand-made art pieces.