Pat Bean 2020

About

I am a mixed media textile artist living in Mawdesley, Lancashire and first became interested in textiles at secondary school.

When I took early retirement from teaching, I began studying for a diploma in stitched textiles and gained this in 2009. It was during this course that I discovered Felt as a way to translate my ideas into items for practical use or decoration. Although felting is my first love I thoroughly enjoy creating textile art using other mediums.

I find inspiration from many sources but especially vibrancy of colour in the natural world. My garden and travelling to incredible areas of the world provides me with a never- ending supply of ideas to fill my many sketchbooks.

I love working with texture and often combine natural fibres such as wool, silk and bamboo with synthetic fabrics to create unusual effects, and more often than not using wet felting techniques. Embellishment using hand and machine stitch gives my work an additional dimension.

During the last ten years, I have exhibited widely with two textile groups around Lancashire and now enjoy passing on my skills to others in my new garden studio.