Worcester Stitch and Textile Art Group Worcester Stitch and Textile Art Group

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Using Sketchbooks, Amanda Hislop

06 June 2023

Sketchbooks have always been a key part of Amanda’s artistic life, from her degree course in woven textiles and painting at West Surrey College of Art and Design, through her teaching career with secondary age pupils, to her current profession as a textile artist and tutor. She believes that sketchbooks are a valuable resource to keep and use.

Amanda currently lives in Oxfordshire where “close to home” she is able to observe, imagine and be inspired by walking and looking and recording changes happening. She is also drawn to the sea and her many visits have resulted in her book “Stitched Textile Seascapes” published by Search Press. She is inspired by the landscape and natural forms as the seasons change. Her work combines drawn and painted marks and she does use some photography to aid recall.

Amanda is always “ready to go”, having a bag containing all that she might need:

Her work is recorded in sketchbooks of different sizes and paper qualities, and include some that she has made e.g. concertina style.

Amanda’s final comments …

“We are settling into a time when we can function with recognisable normality. Walking has supported my “normal”, a reliable time each day to unravel thoughts and focus on the now. The cycle of nature goes on and I am happy in my sketchbooks; the challenge is moving out of them …”

MG