Artists in the gallery...

Janet Browne

My name is Janet Browne and I live on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. My work is developed from a visual diary of observations I make each day. My earlier work mapped the places, towns and landscapes I travelled through but recent pieces have focused on the birds and plants.

Folk art and naive painters influence my approach and I use pattern and stylised forms but I also try to capture movement and behaviour.

I work following long periods of observation using rapid sketches of the birds, plants or landscape features I see. I record the images and colours while they are clear in my mind. The design process for each piece is lengthy, the image constantly refined and adjusted. I use calico, silk and stitch to construct the work. The fabric is hand dyed or painted, the dye colours often mixed just for that piece, changing through the seasons. I use hand and machine embroidery as simply another way of drawing but enjoy the surface texture I am able to achieve.