My submission for, ‘Garden of Loss and Triumph’ is mixed media textile response. I have used cyanotypes, hand painted fabric and embroidery.
My inspiration for all my work is nature and this project has been a joy to respond to. Gardens are places of both places of birth and death, the cycle mimicking that of our lives.
The message in this piece of work is one of both the glory of life, death and rebirth. The leaves and flowers, (cyanotype and fabric painting,) are the joy of new life and the the embroidered stems, seed heads and berries the symbols of death and rebirth with this cycle being replayed every year.
It is the song of nature, the cycle of life and with which we must stay in tune in these frightening times of our earth’s destruction. We must act to make sure that our planet can be rejuvenated. this is our time and we must cherish it
or lose it.


Jan’s work as a designer/printmaker/artist/educator has evolved over many years of practice. As a professional textile designer she has adapted and widened her practice and skills, embracing new technologies to create a wide variety of designs and individual artwork. Hand-painted, printmaking and digital media are intrinsically linked to the creation of her work. She finds the different media work in a symbiotic way to help create new avenues of research and investigation.
Jan’s inspiration is wide and varied. Whilst out walking or sailing, she records the environment using her camera/phone and ever-present sketchbooks. Jan is inspired by transient shadows of natural forms, the ever-moving coastline of mudflats, marshes and waterways. Landscape, rocks, cliffs, moorland, flowers, trees and the wildlife that inhabits these environments never cease to capture her interest.