Jo Budd
My courses are fairly informal but quite concentrated, with lots of student interaction.I demonstrate techniques, show examples of work and teach one to one and in groups. Students are encouraged to develop their own creative direction and be experimental in their approach to the medium, However there is a thorough underpinning of both theory and technique.
What will students gain if they come on one of your courses?Students will learn specific techniques and gain Increased confidence in the handling of textile mediums and freedom of expression through experimentation. Sensitivity to the materials, approaches to the use of colour and composition are all integral to the course.
Are there any particular techniques/processes you use in your teaching?My techniques have developed out of my training as a painter and from the rich traditions of quilting and embroidery. These includemono-print, hand application of dyes and mark-making, experimental screen print, various resist techniques and rust dyeing from metal plate and found objects. I also teach collage, appliqué, free-machine embroidery, hand stitch, bonding of fabrics and other experimental techniques tailored to the student’s requirements.
What inspires your own work?My garden and view of the Waveney Valley water meadows in North Suffolk: the colours, textures and changing light over the meadows, which regularly flood throughout the seasons. I am fascinated by the similarities between dyes and stitch and the qualities of water – flowing, reflecting, transparent or opaque. My work deals with formal abstract qualities but is both an intuitive response to the outer landscape and an exploration of a more personal inner world. It is not limited by locality, but inspired by it.
Where can students see examples of your work?Public and private collections (see below), by appointment at my studio and current exhibitions Websites.
Where did you gain your training? Experience?
I studied Fine Art BA hons at Newcastle University, specialising in painting and printed textiles. Subsequently textiles became my preferred medium and I have been exhibiting large scale sewn and dyed pieces both nationally and internationally since 1980. I have received sponsorship from the British Crafts Council as well as Regional Arts Awards and Research Grants.
I have also completed commissions for public buildings such as hospitals and medical centres and have work in public collections in this country and abroad.
Recent solo shows include: the Festival of Quilts, NEC, Birmingham, 2006 and 2007 and ‘Beyond Surface’ at Farfield Mill, Cumbria in 2007. Numerous group shows have included venues such as The Crafts Council, the Whitworth Art Gallery, the Royal Scottish Academy, the Cornerhouse Manchester, the Shipley Art Gallery and Nottingham Castle and Norwich Castle Museums, to name a few. International shows include Japan, the States, Switzerland and Germany. My work is scheduled to be shown at the International Quilt Study Centre, Nebraska in 2009 and at the V.+A. Museum in 2010.
My teaching experience is extensive spanning over 25 years, teaching Fine Art, Drawing and Textiles. I have lectured and taught numerous workshops to groups such as the Embroiderers and Quilters Guilds, and have devised workshops for amongst others the Crafts Council, Norfolk Museums service and Suffolk County Council. I have also run workshops in schools and taken part in residencies with all age groups. Concurrent with this I have been a part-time and visiting lecturer in various colleges at post-graduate, under-graduate and further-education level. These include: the RCA, and universities such as Manchester Metropolitan (external examiner for B.A. Hons Embroidery), Nottingham, Loughborough and Norwich University College of Art where I taught Foundation for 13 years. Currently I am a part-time lecturer in Textiles at Norwich City College.
Is your work in any public or private collections?Public Collections include: Victoria and Albert Museum (pending), The International Quilt Study Centre, University of Nebraska, USA, The Embroiderers Guild, Norwich Castle Museum, St Mary’s Hospital Paddington, London, Paintings in Hospitals, North East Collection, Durham University Business School. Public Commissions include: Bedfordshire Hospital NHS Trust, Bungay Medical Practice, Suffolk, Millennium Tapestry, Overstrand Norfolk, St Oswald’s Hospice, Newcastle
Have you written any books/had articles published?Contributor to: Art Textiles of the World; Great Britain Vol.2 ISBN 095262676
Contemporary Embroidery, Prof. Anne Morrell, ISBN 0289801520
The fine Art of Quilting, Vicki Barker and Tessa Bird, ISBN 0289800293
The textiles Project, Suffolk county council, ISBN 0903562081
Embroidery Magazine Vol. 58 Crafts Magazine, No.78