Sharon Mitchell
Textiles
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About Sharon
With a background in textiles and career as an art teacher, eco printing has become my passion, my therapy! The mindfulness that comes with composing each one of my prints, where to place the leaves and flowers, what rhythm to create, what natural dyes to use is a wonderful process - and never quite knowing the exact outcome is always a delightful surprise. I aim to be an ethical practitioner when buying materials and enjoy using waste food such as avocado pits and onions skins! All of the blank textiles I print on come from companies that support the communities that make them and are mostly organic. I am a member of the Woodland Trust; as nature gifts me leaves and flowers, it is only right that I should give back.
“Seeing the beauty in a flower could awaken humans, however briefly, to the beauty that is the central part to their inner most being, their true nature” Eckhart Tolle
Email | leafthiefprints@gmail.com
Tel | 07971 988 393
My Work
I started my adventures with eco printing by learning how to do it on paper first, and then I was hooked! Covid provided me with time to take on-line courses and a whole world opened up to me. Like nature, I am very organic with how I work and it really depends what mood I am in and what season it is as to what I will create. Saying that, winter does not stop me as I have boxes full of dried leaves and used tea-bags and a freezer overflowing with pomegranate peel, avocado skins and pits as well as onions skins! When placing the leaves, flowers, dyes and bark onto the fabric my love of pattern takes over and my work is often quite "busy"; I have yet to explore doing quieter work, where there is more breathing space in between the colours and shapes.
Eco printing takes time, the printing surface needs to be prepared first in order to receive the natural colours, tannins and dyes from the flowers, bark and leaves. It is not something I can do in a rush and it is a process where there is magic and always wonderfully suprising outcomes.
Other Artists
Ann creates unique hand painted silks and one off fused glass pieces and glass jewellery, inspired by her love of colour and colour combinations.
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Clara is an artist drawing and painting on silk, sculpting in stone, wood and clay and fusing glass.
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Jenny Rainsford is a textile and mixed media artist, with a particular interest in drawing with thread.
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Maggie works in ceramics, silk painting and printmaking. She is inspired by ancient, eastern and twentieth century art and design.
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