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Previous Exhibitions

The Sunbury Embroidery Gallery is delighted to present an exhibition of winning works from this year’s National Embroidery Awards (NEA). First unveiled at the Fashion & Embroidery Show at the NEC Birmingham in March, these outstanding pieces now take centre stage once again.

The National Embroidery Awards celebrate excellence, innovation and creativity in contemporary embroidery.This year, entrants were invited to showcase their finest work, whether they were picking up a needle for the first time or working at a professional level. Each submission represents a personal achievement: an artist’s most accomplished, expressive and imaginative piece created within the past year.

From exquisitely detailed hand embroidery to innovative free-machine and digital techniques, the exhibition demonstrates the extraordinary breadth and vitality of stitched textiles today.

The judges sought more than technical accomplishment alone.They looked for originality, confidence, depth, innovation and that unmistakable spark of creative excellence. They were not disappointed. From sixty shortlisted entries across the ‘In Education’ and ‘Not in Education’ categories, an exceptional body of work emerged, encompassing both two-dimensional and three-dimensional pieces that challenge and expand traditional perceptions of embroidery.

This exhibition offers a fascinating insight into the diversity of contemporary textile art and the talent currently flourishing within the embroidery community.

The National Embroidery Awards

Winners

Karen Nicol is a London-based textile artist and designer whose distinctive mixed-media and embroidered works span the worlds of fashion, interiors and contemporary art.

Over a career spanning several decades, Karen has designed and produced bespoke interior textiles for an international clientele, including the King of Qatar, Chanel, the Pope, Estée Lauder and Gwyneth Paltrow. Alongside these commissions, she has developed own-label collections of textiles and home accessories for companies around the world.

In the fashion industry, Karen has created concepts, designs and highly crafted embroidered garments for both ready-to- wear and haute couture collections. Her collaborations have included some of the most celebrated names in fashion, among them Schiaparelli, Alexander McQueen, Jasper Conran and Giles Deacon.

Since 2010, Karen has increasingly focused on large-scale embroidered, painted and sculptural artworks. Her richly textured pieces have been exhibited and collected internationally, with solo exhibitions in London, Paris and New York, as well as presentations at leading galleries and art fairs worldwide.

A respected educator, Karen was the founder, Senior Lecturer and Visiting Professor of the Mixed Media MA programme at the Royal College of Art, London. In recognition of her outstanding contribution to design, she was elected a Royal Designer for Industry (RDI) in 2015—one of the highest honours awarded by the Royal Society of Arts and held by only around 200 designers worldwide.

Karen Nicol

Fashion & Style

A gift of vintage Japanese kimonos sparked a new direction for mixed-media artist Sylvia Paul. A professional painter for nearly fifty years, Sylvia had often thought of creating some textile art. Determined to build her career as a painter, she put this idea to one side until she was gifted a collection of vintage kimonos and obi belts.

Many of Sylvia's pieces use the kimono remnants and sometimes Japanese papers are included. Alongside this, not far from her home in Essex, the silk weaving factories in Sudbury, Suffolk, have provided a wealth of fabric remnants. Using raw edge appliqué with free motion machine or hand embroidery, Sylvia has developed a unique style.

This exhibition is a celebration of Sylvia's textile art and includes large and small with subjects from home and far away.

Sylvia Paul

A Kimono in my hands

We welcome back the very popular Sunbury Working Artists, an accomplished and multi-disciplinary group of established local artists who, this year, embrace the opportunity to explore and celebrate the rich, diverse, and natural beauty of Sunbury-on-Thames through various art forms.

The walled garden, known for its tranquil and inviting atmosphere, is a haven and an inspiration for artists and visitors throughout the seasons. Legend has it that the village of Sunbury dates back to the Bronze Age making it a treasure trove for artists and history lovers alike. Each artist’s unique experience and perspective influence their choice of medium and how they portray a subject, whether real or imagined.

Artists exhibiting:
Daphne Clement - Painter
Sue Munson - Painter
Mike Doherty - Photographer and Poet
Dolly Hurran - Milliner
Richard Eastwood - Photographer
Juliette Whiterod - Ceramicist
Ian Cunliffe - Print Maker
Tahira Mandarino - Painter
Stuart Simler - Painter
Rodney Kingston - Painter
Ros Perton - Ceramicist
Robert Shaw - Photographer

Sunbury Working Artists

Inspired by Sunbury

Inspired by the Gallery’s neighbour the Thames, a group of local artists have compiled a show about wild water and how its changes through global warming are affecting the environment. This is only the second exhibition they have held as a group, their first was a weekend show in the garden of Turner’s House in East Twickenham, which was graced with kind weather and fun for all attendees. They hope this exhibition will be as interesting and enjoyable for all visitors to the gallery. The nine artists taking part have very interesting and diverse practices, in painting, sculpting and photography. This exhibition brings together local artists deeply concerned with the climate crisis and the devastating consequences of warming of lands and seas.
Rising sea levels, caused by the warming of the ocean (since water expands as it heats) and the increased melting of glaciers and ice sheets, is a particular focus for Helen Goodwin, whose poetic work explores coastal erosion. Her photograph depicts a solitary chair, placed where it once stood in her former wooden cottage by the sea in Yorkshire - a poignant reflection on loss and change. Lizzie Brewer turns her attention to melting ice caps in the Arctic, translating the process of melting and destruction into a narrative expressed as a scroll. Jane Oldfield’s intstallation illustrates the warming of the sea and Amanda Randall’s stone sculpture draws attention to the Mermaid’s Purse - a shark egg case - symbolising the aquatic species now threatened by warming oceans.
Extreme weather events and flooding, caused by a warmer atmosphere holding more moisture, are becoming increasingly frequent. Richard Eastwood’s paintings, responding to the deadly floods in Spain in 2024, are inspired by a haunting media image of roses carried off by swollen waters. Loraine Monk’s etching and aquatint envision the River Thames flooding at Kingston Bridge. Janey Hagger’s boat, constructed from materials gathered from the Thames riverbed and coastal shorelines, reminds us of human waste and the plight of climate refugees. Nicki Rolls’s sculptures are also made from found river debris - making river creatures which are mythological representations of the power of water.
The twin impacts of drought and flood on plant life and farmland are explored in Nicki Rolls’s charcoal drawings of root vegetables. They highlight the effect of flooded farmland on UK vegetable crop yields. Brian Deighton reflects on the persistent rain in the landscape, and Susan Cunningham investigates practical responses - inspired by rain gardens to identify plants that can tolerate damp conditions, as well as plants that can survive flooding.

Friends of the Earth

The Power of Water

The Sunbury Embroidery Gallery is thrilled to be exhibiting the winning entries from the inaugural National Embroidery Awards (NEA), which took place this March at the Fashion and Embroidery Show at the NEC Birmingham.
The National Embroidery Awards asked stitchers from all corners of the community to submit a piece of embroidery work that they are most proud of, created within the last twelve months, to showcase the wonderful variety embroidery can offer in terms of techniques, subject matter, colour and materials.

The competition was well supported, attracting ninety entries covering a diverse range of work, both two- and three-dimensional, across the two main categories: 'In Education' and 'Not In Education'. Winners were selected by six well-known judges who were all impressed by the standard and level of creativity on display. Winners were awarded a selection of fabulous prizes by the competition sponsors, with the 'Best in Show' winning the Madeira Rose Bowl Trophy, holding onto the title for one year, a legacy from the long-running Madeira Embroidery Competition, the predecessor to the NEA.

Pick up a flier from the Sunbury Embroidery Gallery with details of the National Embroidery Awards 2026 ... and who knows, you could be one of next years winners!

Aran Illingworth -- Tharani Vaenthan -- Leia Zlatonova -- Priyaguna Sundararajan -- Erika Plini -- Rebecca McGlinchey -- Lucy May -- Marcell Klimeck -- Chloe Savage -- Sara Hadlow -- Zoe Childs -- Kate Findlay -- Beth Wilson -- Dr Anne Elliot

The National Embroidery Awards

Winners Gallery

Will Clarke is a British Artist and Printmaker known for his hand-drawn, screen- printed architectural artworks. Will was born and grew up locally in Thames Ditton before moving to London and now lives on the Kent coast. His illustrations of iconic buildings are instantly recognisable for their fine detail and craftsmanship. Each piece begins with a meticulous drawing, which Will then transfers to silk screens or etching plates and hand-prints using traditional techniques. He adds layers of colour and metallic inks to make every print original and unique.
With over a decade of experience, Will has collaborated with leading institutions such as the Southbank Centre, Royal Opera House, and St Paul’s Cathedral - creating exclusive, handmade screenprint editions for each. His commitment to craftsmanship and sustainability ensures each print is not only handmade but also a true original fine artwork.
As well as formal training in Graphic Communications and Printmaking, Will has also worked as a Screenprint technician and travelled, undertaking artist residencies in Athens, Milan and across the UK.
For the first time, Will is going to be exhibiting a small series of locally inspired pieces alongside his existing portfolio of works inspired by London, the UK and beyond.

Will Clarke

Architectural Impressions

Sunbury Working Artists are a multi-disciplinary group of friends, local artists and makers. The group has evolved together over
many years. They work independently of each other in many different disciplines but collaborate and share their work by exhibiting together.
Exhibiting a wide range of accomplished art disciplines Painting, photography, pottery, poetry and printmaking
feature strongly in their output. This exhibition is of recent work by various members of the group. To include
Daphne Clement - Wendy Clouse - Ian Cunliffe- Mike Doherty Richard Eastwood - Sue Munson - Pos Perton - Robert Shaw Caroline Bays - Stuart Simler - Tahira Mandarino

Sunbury Working Artists

Ten Years On

A painter, designer, colourist and pattern-maker, Lisa Todd grew up in South Africa, which provided the perfect tropical canvas to inspire her vibrant decorative style.

Her 20 year interior design career came to an abrupt end in 2003 following an accident resulting in cervical dystonia, a chronic, painful neuromuscular condition which serverely restricts movement in the neck. Within the restrictions of her condition Lisa began to paint, re-engaging with her love of colour and pattern.

The Ubuntu collection is a colourful celebration of two cultures expressed through abstract patterns translated into contemporary items for home and fashion. Lisa grew up being surrounded by the vibrant colours and culture in South Africa which has instilled a life long mission to give voice to, and champion, artisans in the craft community in South Africa. For this collection, Lisa researched the history and purpose of

Zulu beadwork which has led to a collaboration with a team of master beaders and wire workers in South Africa who have translated Lisa's paintings into joyful objects and artworks, giving each piece a narrative and story to be celebrated. These bead works have also been translated into digital print designs and are used across homeware products.

This work supports traditional craft skills and fair employment conditions for people in South African townships.

Lisa's recent exhibitions include a large-scale textile installation in the cathedral for the Wells Art Contemporary (2024); selected works exhibited with the ING Discerning Eye & also Women in Art exhibitions at the Mall Galleries, London (2024). Lisa also completed a major installation of works for the new Dyson Cancer Centre at Bath Royal United Hospital in 2024.

Awards include: Living Etc Tableware Collection of the Year 2021, European Product Design Award 2018, Elle Decoration Print and Pattern Designer of the Year 2017; Lisa was nominated for the prestigious Women of the Year Awards in 2020.Lisa is also a Fellow of The Royal Society of the Arts.

Lisa Todd

Ubuntu 'I Am Because You Are'

Keira Graham has been creating distinctive artworks with fabric for more than 30 years, obtaining a BA (Honours) specialising in embroidery at Nottingham Trent University. Keira began manipulating and distressing fabric, finding beauty in the frayed edges usually hidden away. Following her graduation, she continued to develop her unique style of working with fabric with frayed edges becoming the focus of her artwork. She found that tearing ‘shot’ fabrics, produced using different colours of thread for the warp and weft, resulted in the fabric appearing iridescent as it catches the light, exposing contrasting threads which could then be used as accents in her artwork.

Having spent her childhood on the east coast of Northern Ireland and, in later years, the south and southwest coast of England, Keira has constantly been inspired by the beauty and rich colours and textures of her surrounding, now the focus of Keira’s pieces, each depicting different locations along the British coastline and landscape.

Working from sketches and photographs taken, Keira selects her palette of silks from the wealth of fabric she has accumulated and with skilful placement creates the shimmering effects of sunlight on water and rolling hills with fields of grasses catching the light to remarkable effect. Viewers often find themselves mesmerised by the tactile quality of her pieces, compelled to explore the layers and textures that bring each scene to life. They are surprised that what appears to be a painting, is in fact an artwork created entirely in textiles.

Keira has exhibited her work in galleries across the south of England. Her artworks are framed using museum grade UV protective, Anti-reflective art glass.

Keira Graham

Silkscapes

BBC1 Series 3 "Make it Market" When the Sunbury Embroidery Gallery was approached by BBC1’s Make it at Market to showcase one of their featured artists, Connie Baker-Horne immediately stood out.

With a PhD in animal behaviour and over a decade of field experience studying animals like spotted hyenas, hamsters, and golden bell frogs, Connie approaches her art with a scientist’s eye and a deep connection to nature. Her work in animal behaviour has given her a unique perspective, observing not only the actions of animals but the subtle details; the way light gleams in their eyes and the patterns in their fur and skin. While her photography captured some of these moments, she longed for a medium that would allow her to truly celebrate the beauty and intricacies of wildlife in a hands-on, tactile way.

When she discovered thread painting, everything clicked. Thread became her way to ‘paint’ animals in stunning detail, using embroidery to convey the depth and texture of the natural world.

This journey led her to BBC1 Make it at Market, where, with the guidance of her mentor Stephanie from Hawthorn Handmade, she developed her meticulous approach into a thoughtful art form.

Her art invites viewers to connect with nature in a unique way, one stitch at a time, and she now sees her work as a bridge to share the importance and beauty of the natural world.

Cbh embroidery | wildlife art https://www.cbhembroidery.com/

Connie Baker-Horne

Threads of Nature: A Scientist's Journey in Stitch

Join us as we celebrate our Millennium Embroidery's 25th Anniversary with an interactive exhibition.

Immerse yourself in this exciting exhibition showcasing exquisite stitched flowers crafted by local groups, including the Afghan Women's Group and CAMEO Day Centres. This remarkable display is united by the artistic vision of Izi Harris, celebrating creativity and community spirit in a vibrant setting. Enhancing this experience is a collection of inspiring poetry from Kenyngton Manor Primary School, developed in collaboration with poet Jan Noble. Explore the themes and emotions expressed through the children's words. Additionally, enjoy elements from workshops led by IAMFlow, where Manor Mead School students drew inspiration from our renowned Millennium Embroidery, further showcasing the power of artistic engagement.

This exhibition also reflects the dedication our of volunteers, who have generously contributed their time and skills to the Embroidery as a Means of Storytelling project.

Get involved for FREE: drop-in and create a beautiful textile flower for the Walled Garden, adding your personal touch to our blossoming display. Supported by Councillor Buddhi Weerasinghe and the Your Councillor Community fund.

Embroidery as a means of Storytelling

Celebratory Community Exhibition

The Sunbury Embroidery Gallery is thrilled to be exhibiting a selection of art pieces from one of the most diverse and nationally important collections of fine art embroidery, spanning almost 70 years, selected pieces of which you will see in the Poetry of Stitch exhibition.

Diana originally trained as a painter before extending her artistic skills into crafts, especially embroidery. Following this, she taught teachers and through doing so, realised that being able to hold textiles in your hands was the only way to truly share her passion for stitch. Buying pieces from graduate students enabled her to support both them and others to appreciate this much undervalued art form.

Diana completed the piece Head of a Girl in 1960 (muslin appliqué and hand stitching on a cotton background) at Goldsmiths College, London, whilst she was learning embroidery. She was asked to stitch a portrait which could use one colour thread on a plain single colour background.

To find out more about Diana Springall and the wider collection, visit her website by clicking this button.https://dianaspringallcollection.co.uk/

Diana Springall

The Poetry of Stitch

Thank you to everyone who celebrated the 25th Anniversary Weekend with us in the Walled Garden!

Until 22nd June, the Sunbury Embroidery Gallery is inviting the community to take part in a hands-on project marking the 25th Anniversary of the Millennium Embroidery. A dedicated patch in the Walled Garden is gradually being transformed into a colourful display of handmade textile flowers created by members of the public.

Whether you are an experienced stitcher or entirely new to the craft, there is something for everyone. Visitors can choose from three simple flower designs, including one that requires no stitching at all. All materials are provided and support is available, making it an inclusive activity for all ages and abilities.

Participation is free and no booking is required. The project has been made possible thanks to the generous support of Councillor Buddhi Weerasinghe and the Your Councillor Community Fund.
Our aim is to see at least 330 flowers planted in the Walled Garden by 22nd June!

The Walled Garden in Bloom

Create, Stitch & Plant your own textile flower

Since 2018, Spelthorne has been running a photographic competition to find the best photographs of the borough. The only criteria for entry was that the photograph had to be taken in Spelthorne and fall within four categories.
The judges were looking for images that encapsulated and brought to life:

Community, Events, Places and Landmarks.

The competition was open to all ages and judged in separate categories. All that was needed was enthusiasm, a camera or a smartphone. It was a fantastic way for residents to practice their skills and to showcase the borough’s urban and green landscapes, and to get out and explore those hidden corners that make Spelthorne such a great place to live.

As always there was an overwhelming response and many captivating photographs. The chosen overall winner was Monica Chard for her winning entry in the My Spelthorne category - well done Monica and to all those who entered.

Spelthorne Photographic Competition 2020

In the "Hidden Histories of Women" exhibition, Alison Baxter honours the often underestimated but profound impact of our Grandmothers. This assortment of miniature vessels commemorates these extraordinary women and the narratives they carry. Alison, the artist, has transformed these narratives into art, with each vessel embodying the distinct qualities and enduring imprints of our Grandmothers.

Alison initially trained as a jeweller and have had a successful studio practice with work exhibited and sold worldwide and held in national collections. She embarked on an MA in textiles in 2015 to develop work that was not constrained within the framework of the body.

The exhibition highlights the underrepresentation of women in history, shedding light on their vital, though frequently unnoticed, roles. Traditionally confined to homemaking, women have quietly shaped our society. Grandmothers have woven their wisdom and skills into family bonds across generations, offering a sense of security and belonging.

Textiles, a medium intimately entwined with a unique history, reflect domestic, social, cultural, and political values as profoundly as yarn and thread themselves. Through her art, Alison deciphers the unspoken stories of women's lives and the fragments of their history, skilfully translating them into miniature vessels that encapsulate their profound significance.

Alison's artistic path is deeply personal, ignited by her Grandmother's crafting talents. This continuous project broadens as more women contribute their Grandmothers' tales, and Alison translates them into abstracted female forms, resulting in a continually evolving collection with rich narratives.

You're invited to participate in our "Remembering Grandmothers" workshop, where you can create a stitched memory panel that honours your own Grandmother.

Alison Baxter

The Hidden Histories of Women

Earth Threads is a touring exhibition of contemporary weft-faced woven tapestries. It is the sixth biennial exhibition of the British Tapestry Group (BTG) South East Region. All members of the South East Region were invited to submit a woven tapestry to this exhibition. Earth Threads showcases and celebrates these vibrant and original tapestries from weavers of all levels of experience. The exhibition opened at the historic Whitchurch Silk Mill in Hampshire and then travelled to our Gallery.

The theme Earth Threads was chosen to be both broad and inspiring. The natural world provides a great source of visual beauty and variety which we can celebrate. It is also challenged by climate change, pollution, and the loss of biodiversity. The theme leads to many different viewpoints and each weaver interprets the theme in their own way.

As a medium, woven tapestry provides an extensive toolbox of materials and techniques. Natural materials such as silk, nettle, linen, cotton, and wool are available in many different colours and thicknesses. Recycled or reclaimed items and other materials such as paper, wire, fishing line and lurex can also be used. These materials can both surprise and challenge the viewer.

British Tapestry Group

Earth Threads

Introducing Joe Shevelan and Susie Garner, two distinct artists united by a common theme: Balance.

Joe's collection, delves into the delicate equilibrium of mental health and wellbeing. His hand-forged jewellery and contemplative rock sculptures represent the interplay of creating, healing, and growing as individuals grapple with life's challenges. When making art sometimes it will just fall apart, and you have to stack it up again. Balancing the rocks, creating, and recreating impermanent art reflects the process of both making art and of what it means to be human. We are never truly in control, and nothing lasts forever. Make, heal, and grow.

On the other hand, Susie Garner, a silversmith with a MA degree in Jewellery and Silversmithing, draws her inspiration from nature's balance and the intricate details of the English countryside. Her work breathes life into silver flowers and decorative wall art that encapsulate the intertwined textile of nature. By exploring the interplay of multi-layering, decorative weave, stitch and pattern balance, she speaks for nature in a visual narrative. Susie sees plants as an interwoven textile that clothe the Earth, and flowers as more than just a decorative detail, but essential to the existence of all life.
While Joe and Susie's artistic mediums and styles differ, the concept of balance unites their work, inviting viewers to reflect on equilibrium in mental health and the harmonious beauty of the natural world.
Susie Garner MA (@susiegarner.silvermith) • Instagram photos and videos

https://susiegarner.co.uk/
Joe Shevelan (@forgedathome) • Instagram photos and videos

https://forgedathome.co.uk/

Joe and Susie

Balance in Nature

David Morrish

Kingfly: In my safe space

Lucy T. Smith, an international award-winning botanical artist, has been passionately documenting the diversity of the plant world through her art and scientific illustrations for over thirty years. For twenty-four of those years, she worked as a freelance artist for the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew which holds hundreds of her artworks in its collection. Her exceptional talent has led to her illustrations being featured in numerous scientific journals worldwide.

Lucy has taught botanical art for many organisations, and currently leads the teaching of botanical illustration courses at Kew.

Lucy's dedication and talent have earned her numerous accolades, including the prestigious Jill Smythies Award for Botanical Illustration from the Linnean Society, two gold medals from the Royal Horticultural Society, and First Prize (twice) in the Margaret Flockton Award for Botanical Illustration. In 2020, she was honoured with the Botanical Illustrator Award for Excellence in Scientific Botanical Art from the American Society of Botanical Artists.

In addition to her remarkable achievements, Lucy takes on custom commissions, with notable clients including a 90th birthday present for Sir David Attenborough.

For the first time ever, this exhibition brings together a selection of Lucy's artwork, showcasing her unique ability to combine art and science. The work is intricate, precise, and detailed, highlighting a diverse range of subjects.

Among the pieces on display are early portraits of tropical Australian palms painted in watercolour and gouache.

Also featured are scientific pen and ink illustrations specifically created for the recently published book 'Palms of New Guinea' by Kew, along with drawings and watercolours from Lucy's ongoing major project: the beautiful Victoria Water Lilies.

Lucy's latest book, 'Botanical Sketchbooks: An Artist's Guide to Plant Studies,' is now available for sale. It provides a comprehensive insight into her botanical work. Some of the original images from the book will be displayed in the Gallery.

Workshop with Lucy at The Sunbury Gallery:

Exploring Drawing and Painting with Lucy Smith

Monday 23rd September from 10am to 3pm.

Talk with Lucy at The Sunbury Gallery:

Saturday 28th September from 5:30pm to 7pm.

Lucy T Smith

Palms, Petals and Pads

Through Textile Art, Paula investigates how the spaces we live in reflect who we are. Paula builds on her background as an architect to explore, through textiles, the relationship that we have with the spaces we occupy.

Her articulate drawings are translated into hand-machine stitched 3-dimensional sculptural pieces, each revealing stories of their occupiers.

Using a quilted base for this work, a layer of raw silk on top of a cotton wadding with a canvas backing helps to define and shape the line, strengthening the evocative connotations of her work.

Talking Spaces reveals what it is like to live a life in craft with a look inside the creative spaces of three established studios.

Nurture - Kate Fedden An established studio

Renewal - Michael Brennand-Wood A lost studio

Legacy - Diana Springall A domestic setting

“Our surroundings, at their best, are like a comfort blanket to our lives” Paula Reason

Paula Reason: Textile artist and architect

Talking spaces

We are honoured to be presenting a selection of contemporary works recently acquired by Diana Springall. We last featured a selection of the Diana Springall collection in May 2020 with an exhibition explaining our “Gallery plans for the future.”
Diana is, according to the Victoria & Albert Museum, ‘amongst the most well-known of all British textile artists’ with an acclaimed collection of British embroidery and textile art amassed over a 60-year period.

This nationally important collection will be housed in the new extended Embroidery Gallery which will be a recognised educational resource and study centre for future generations, an integral part of our aims to become a National Centre of excellence, for Embroidery and textile related arts.

This latest exhibition includes over 20 innovative and accomplished recent works, which includes:

A piece by one of the most popular Finish designers of our time Heikki Orvola (see brochure cover).

An amazing self- portrait by Chilean artist Estefania Tarud Kari.

A piece by celebrated French Artist Nicole Gaulier who’s first works put her in the mid 1970’s movement of ‘Fibre Art’.

Artist Suzy Wright loves colour, her work is full of colour solid stitching to vibrant effect. Her portraits include Zandra Rhodes, Grayson Perry and Janet Street Porter.

Plus, an outstanding piece entitled ‘Swan’ by renowned London embroiderer and mixed media textile artist Karen Nicol, to name just a few from this stunning collection.

Diana brings an artist’s eye and an informed sophistication to embroidery that transcends time and fashions in the craft. Her inspiring collection continues to grow, evolve and inspire.

The Diana Springall Collection

Home & Abroad - An exhibition of recent exhibitions

Frances Doherty graduated in 2001 after five years at college studying photography, plastics as well as ceramics. After graduating she took on a workshop space in Hove, subletting to other artists and craftspeople.

Frances’s inspiration comes from flowers and plants we see all around us, in gardens, fields even cracks in the pavement. She is particularly drawn to the secret world inside these flowers, the patterns, textures that give a continuing sense of promise and renewal.

She likes to play with scale often scaling her sculptures up so that we can imagine the size that a plant must appear to an insect…what it is that attracts and repels?

Frances works in stoneware, throwing the basic shape of the sculpture, then alters and models onto the piece. The pieces are high fired so that they can live in an interior or exterior environment. Glazes are chosen to compliment the form and often slightly crystalline or iridescent bringing each piece to life.

Frances exhibits and sells her work at art fairs and galleries throughout the British Isles. In 2004 she won an award for Best Newcomer at BCTF (British Craft Trade Fair, Harrogate), and has written features for their magazine 'The Craftsman’. She took a post grad course in teaching and learning in HE, and has worked as part-time tutor at HMP Ford and Northbrook College, Brighton University.

Francis Doherty

The Ceramic Gardener

The work on display is a small part of the Collection which will be housed in the new extended Embroidery Gallery. This nationally important collection of British Embroidery and Textile Art has been accumulated by Diana Springall over six decades.

Diana Springall has been collecting contemporary embroidery since studying at Goldsmiths College in London in the 1950s. She is a teacher, practitioner and writer on embroidery and has collected with discipline and vision, often selecting the work of graduates who were to go on and have noble careers in textiles. The collection, currently comprises some 250 pieces together with accompanying paper sketches, make a crucial contribution to modern textile history and incorporates the work of British artists as well as many artists from abroad including Europe, the USA and Japan. It is the only British collection that has the unique distinction of covering embroidery as a fine art.

The Sunbury Gallery's location, close to London and its proximity to world-leading educational institutions specialising in textile arts at the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court, Kingston University & the University of Creative Arts at Farnham make it ideally situated to house this remarkable collection. It will enable us to create a 'National Centre for Embroidery' in Sunbury offering a valuable and centrally located national resource.

An archive and study centre will be provided to conserve, store and make available the collection for research and study. Pieces will be exhibited in the gallery on a continuing bases as well as bing made available for outside loan

Diana is one of Britain's best-known textile artists. Her 50 year career in textiles includes appointments as a panel lecturer at the Victoria and Albert Museum and chairman of both The Embroiderer's Guild and the Society of Designer Craftsmen. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and her work can be found in many private and public collections. She is also a member of The Worshipful Company of Broderers.

For more information on The Diana Springall Collection please visit

https://dianaspringallcollection.co.uk

Diana Springall

Gallery Plans for the Future

Eliza and Sarah both graduated from The Royal School of Needlework, Hampton Court Palace in 2022 with First Class BA (Hons) degree in Hand Embroidery.

They are both inspiring textile artists who share a passion for hand embroidery and an appreciation of nature’s textural details, and an awareness of the constant states of change in the environment around us.

Their shared dedication for hand embroidery is viewed from two very different unique and exciting forms of creativity.

Eliza Gomersall is inspired by nature and by fantasy film creating a story of transformation. Through the eye of her macro lens Eliza reveals what you can’t see with the naked eye, using hand embroidery to show connections and similarities between the natural world and the mythological.

The Peach Blossom moth and the Lime Hawk moth were Eliza’s inspiration in colour pallet and pattern for her adornment, taking features from both, to mould an original design. In addition
Eliza has incorporated botanical

motifs on the wings with subtle changes of colour and design, representing the transformational life cycle of a rose and an apple tree to create a fantastical hybrid creature, designed through hand- embroidery.

Eliza’s greatest achievement to date was Freelance hand Embroiderer 1st Prize winner- Hand & Lock 2022.

Sarah Dempsey’s work is influenced by botanical surfaces and form such as lichen, fungi and moss. Her fashion statements are based around sustainability and using as many used, donated and found items as possible.

The idea of using functional fabric and workwear as a foundation for her decorative and refined embroidery interested her as the contrast between the two is so great and inspired further research.

Creating a work of beauty from something austere and utilitarian is a challenge and this ideology features in her latest work pairing the masculinity of the leather motorcycle jacket and the femininity of the flowers and embroidery and has in turn created androgynous, gender inclusive wearable art.

Re-using and recycling materials plus making use of those already in her possession is very important to her in the pursuit of a sustainable up cycling ethos.

Two brilliant emerging textile designers who embrace experimentation and share their passion and respect for nature through art.

Eliza Gomersall and Sarah Dempsey

Inspired by Nature

The Sunbury Gallery is thrilled to present this exhibition of work by a much admired local resident and colleague Pamela Judd, who lived in Sunbury-on- Thames for over 60 years.

Pam was the Chief Embroider on the Sunbury Millennium Embroidery and coordinated the 150 or so embroiderers who worked together to create this extraordinary work.

Pam came to Sunbury with her mother and twin sister in 1940 to escape the bombing in North London, initially staying with her grandfather, Richard Winter, who ran the White Horse pub on the corner of The Avenue from 1923 to 1953.

Pam was a prolific and skilled embroiderer who trained and obtained her City & Guilds at the ‘Hampton School of Needlework’, a widely regarded school which sadly no longer exists. She began depicting lost houses and scenes from Sunbury before the Millennium Embroidery came into being. She developed many of the skills that she was later able to use and impart to others in the making of the larger work.

Her involvement in the Millennium Embroidery began in 1996 when she was approached by David Brown and John Stamp to oversee the making and construction of the embroidery, which was then just an idea. She began contacting a number of embroidery friends who agreed to help with the work and in February 1997 an inaugural exhibition was held in the Mary’s Parish Hall in Sunbury showing the design for the embroidery and eliciting help from other embroiderers. Thirty- five more signed up on the day and over the next few years this number grew to almost 150 - people of all ages and skills from across the community whose exquisite work now forms a permanent record of the village.

Throughout the years Pam’s intense passion and observation has left us with a time-capsule and a legacy of exquisitely embroidered images. Her work, with its detail and freeness and inventive use of materials, has a unique and almost painterly quality that leaves a moving and lasting impression on the viewer.

A number of items from this collection were on show at the Embroider y Gallery in 2009.

Pam was a long-time volunteer and Trustee of the project and her work is in public and private collections in the UK and overseas.

Pam Judd

A retrospective

Jason makes a welcome return with his new solo exhibition.

Jason is passionate about working with wood and sharing the joy with others. He has a natural affinity and a practical connection to wood. Jason works with logs from fallen trees, often with historical heritage sourced locally, seeking out ones that are suitable for crafting bowls, furniture and large sculptures.

He stores the wood for two years before selecting the most adept piece for a particular project he has in mind. In many cases Jason knows the historical heritage of the wood and this becomes an integral part of the end process.

Every piece of wood Jason crafts becomes a one-off work of art, carefully paring and refining the shape and surface of the wood which is then beautiful polished and transformed into a desirable object. The process is slow and methodical and reflects Jason’s many years of learning, his passion and practice in the art and craft of woodturning.

A hand-crafted bowl is a work of art that reveals the beauty of wood better than any other shape. The tactile quality sits comfortably in a traditional or contemporary setting and can be both useful and decorative.

Jason has generously donated one of his pieces for our fundraising Christmas raffle - don’t forget to enter as you could be the lucky winner!

Jason Hart

Woodwork to treasure

Alastair is an artist working in tapestry weaving and digital media which includes photography and sound. He has lived and worked in Wales for several years and has exhibited widely in the UK, Europe and the U.S.

Alastair produces large, visually stunning textured land and seascapes and has completed many major commissions for UK and Irish companies. Alastair is also well known in schools across South Wales. Recent developments in his work have included integrating interactive audio with his tapestry. Viewers are encouraged to interact with and explore the art work using their senses.

Alastair is continually researching and developing ways of communicating the enjoyment and stimulus of art to a wider audience and will welcome your feedback. Alastair will also be working and engaging with the teachers and pupils from Manor Mead School Shepperton on a weaving workshop for children with special needs as part of a broader school project.

The work they produce will be showcased during the exhibition. Alastair will be introducing a series of workshops during this exhibition suitable for people with disabilities or disabled people. To take part in a workshop please contact the Gallery direct or visit our web site for details.

This work has been supported by Arts Council of Wales and Theo Moorman Charitable Trust. In order to learn more about audio interactivity and audience engagement he has set up a project involving disabled artists and a funding strategy that would allow him to do this. As well as collaborating with other artists and disseminating his current knowledge in the field, allowing others to explore a new audio visual approach to their work, the

project will also help him to develop new work for exhibition.

Alistair Duncan

Interactive Tapestry

Hand & Lock have 250 years experience embellishing, embroidering and monogramming garments for the Royal family, the military and fashion houses including Dior, Hermes and Louis Vuitton.

The long history of Hand & Lock can be traced back to 1767, when a young Huguenot refugee from France named M. Hand came to London and began manufacturing and selling lace to military tailors. Having studied under Italian craftsmen, Hand and was exceptionally skilled in working with gold lace.

In 1898, CE Phipps began creating embroidered fashion items and selling them to department stores. On his retirement in 1956, he sold the company to one of his employees, a talented embroidery designer, Stanley Lock who renamed it S. Lock Ltd. The Company moved into creating 'special order embroidery' for Christian Dior, Norman Hartnell and other prestigious fashion houses.

This association extended into creating embroidered gowns for Queen Elizabeth II and Diana, Princess of Wales. In 1972 the company was awarded a Royal Warrant.

Hand & Lock

Fabric of our time: 250 years of world history

Recent graduate Charlotte Relf is a textile designer who specialises in Embroidery with a difference. Her passion for the extraordinary is evident throughout her work making brave colour decisions and using curious combinations of fabric and textures. Much of Charlotte’s inspiration is drawn from her surroundings, exploring new places and opening her mind to new experiences. She takes inspiration from contemporary artists such as Dan Lam, Serena Garcia Dalla Venezia and Francesca Belgiojoso.

Charlotte completed her Final Major Project at Birmingham City University of Textiles, Titled, ‘Semi-Awake state’ shown at New Designers Islington in 2019. An eye catching series of hallucinatory landscapes that were influenced by personal emotions, and visuals experienced within the confused state of awakening.

Combining unusual cinematic images haphazardly and using non-traditional materials with exaggerated embroidery stitches, Charlotte captures tension in surreal settings, the viewers eye is drawn to the unequal area due to the asymmetry.
Charlotte strives to make impactful designs that evoke a reaction from her viewers through a combination of digital graphics, collage, mark making and material exploration. Her sketchbook is a starting point and she then ventures out of the restrictions of paper to sample testers and developments.

Each piece stands alone as a featured interior art work or as a complete collection.

Her achievements to date:

July 2018- Entered into the Hand and lock competition.

June 2018- Award for innovation and creativity in Level 5

May 2017- Award for exemplary performance in level 4

Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award

Charlotte Relf

Experimental embroiderer, semi-awake state

Jenna Fox is a British artist with a First class honours degree in Fine art from the UCA and an MBA from Brunel University.

Jenna started to create 2D vibrant sculptural flowers as a metaphor for vulnerability and fragility. This quickly developed into large scale installations of oversized flowers or paintings showing all the stages of their life cycle and as a mass of blooms.

Her work relates to universal debates on identity, and place (home and the body - mentally and physically) as she explores the dynamic of the internal and external.

Sculptures, installations, photography and performance are all topics that she loves to explore. Reaching out to gain insight from others to inform her thinking, but also retaining a tongue in cheek playfulness to the process of her work as a coping mechanism.

The flowers are expanded and larger than life to make us aware that they are shouting at us to listen and notice them.

Each painting uses a limited colour palette of three colours.

Jenna’s creative works are currently on show brightening up and transforming public spaces in the community at the following: The War Horse Memorial Royal Ascot, Earley Railway Station & Sunningdale Railway Station, The RSPB, The National Trust, The Sculpture Park Guildford and Frimley Park Hospital.

Jenna is thrilled to have been selected to create an outside installation of roses for Guildford Cathedral and two huge paintings for the vestibule for 2023.

Watch this space!

Jenna Fox

If not now, when?

The Grange at Bookham, founded in 1927, is a charity dedicated to supporting adults with learning disabilities, empowering them to lead independent lives. Originally known as the ‘School of Stitchery and Lace,’ they gained renown for their exceptional needlework craftsmanship. Their journey included royal commissions, such as creating exquisite nightgowns for Queen Mary and enabling people with disabilities to pursue careers in establishments such as Liberty’s and Harvey Nichols. Today, The Grange offers a comprehensive range of services, including residential care, supported living, and skills training.

‘Exploring Nature,’ this first exhibition showcases the remarkable outcomes of their exploration in fabrics, designs, and stitch patterns. Within their creative arts division, The Grange established an embroidery enterprise, where people with disabilities learn to use computerized embroidery machines to produce commercial and artistic pieces. Their exceptional skill and creativity has gained recognition. One of the individuals art works is now in the renowned Diana Springall Collection.

Collaborating with the acclaimed mixed media textile artist Karen Nicol, and drawing inspiration from the picturesque surroundings of The Grange and The Sunbury Gallery ‘The Grange’ merged nature and embroidery to produce this imaginative and inspired body of work.

They observed leaves, created digital designs, and meticulously tested them on embroidery machines before applying them to fabrics. Each embroidered leaf represents the participants’ journey towards this remarkable outcome.

The exhibition aims to promote The Grange’s embroidery enterprise, provide further opportunities for the people they support, and keep their heritage alive.

The Grange at Bookham

Exploring Nature

Chris Thorogood is the Deputy Director and Head of Science of the University of Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum in the UK, and a lecturer in plant biology at the University of Oxford’s Department of Plant Sciences.

Chris’s research focuses on the evolution of parasitic and carnivorous plants, conservation of parasitic plants, plant diversity in the Mediterranean Basin and Japan, and the biomimetic applications of plants. Chris is a panellist for BBC Radio 4’s ‘Gardeners’ Question Time’ and an international best-selling author of specialist and non-specialist titles.

His recently published book ‘Weird Plants’ explains plant behaviour and the intrigues of plant evolution in a way that has never been done before. The book is illustrated throughout with surreal and colourful life-like oil paintings by the author.

This is a rare opportunity to see some of his impressive and detailed oil paintings in the setting of the Sunbury Gallery.

Chris has been fortunate to see many extraordinary and exotic plants in the wild around the world. He talks with enthusiasm of North Borneo, Mount Kinabalu, a UNESCO world heritage site in Sabah, as being home to a unique endemic biodiversity and a place that captivates the imagination. Seeing a carnivorous pitcher plant in Borneo, is an experience without compare. The biology of some of these species remains unexplored to this day.

As Chris points out, carnivorous plants have inspired writers, scientists and the public alike for generations. You don’t have to travel, as we don’t understand some of the plants on our own doorstep.

Meet Dr. CHRIS THOROGOOD for a talk on "Weird Plants" in The Sunbury Gallery

THURSDAY 17 FEBRUARY 2022: 7.00 - 8.30pm:

Tickets £15 including wine and nibbles

Explore the astonishing world of killer plants with Dr Chris Thorogood, Deputy Director and Head of Science, The University of Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum. Enter the world of Dr Chris Thorogood and listen to some of his incredible stories discovering weird and wonderful plants in the wild. His enthusiasm is infectious. He will talk about how he came to write his book “ Weird Plants” and create a the stunning range of paintings that will surround you during this talk. An event not to be missed!

Tickets available at the Gallery - numbers limited.

Discount for Members of The Sunbury Gallery

Dr Chris Thorogood

Weird Plants

Daniel is an artist and illustrator whose journey began in the back streets of Ealing and has since taken him to Bristol, where he studied illustration and then on to Stockholm where he completed an MA in storytelling. He has now settled in Berlin where he has been living and working since 2009.

His practice and conceptual approach has been informed by the demands of newspapers such as ‘The Guardian’ and ‘The New York Times’ as well as book publishers including Orion Books and The Folio Society.

Daniel has returned to the handmade process which has informed his overall aesthetic from the beginning. Taking on less commissions has afforded him the time to patiently plan and print the various colours that go into creating limited edition screen prints.

This exhibition will show a selection of his digital and screen printed works on various subjects alongside archive material of his many book illustrations. The variety on show clearly demonstrates his creative influences, skilful use of colour and light as well as his attention to detail.

Meet the Artist on Sunday 22nd March when Daniel be giving a demonstration.

Daniel Haskett

Illustrator and painter

Karen Nicol is a London based mixed media and embroidery textile designer and artist working in fashion, interiors and gallery installations.

She has created concepts and designs for embroidered textiles for ready-to- wear and couture fashion, working with many fashion design houses including Schiaparelli, Alexander McQueen, Jasper Conran and Giles Deacon.

Karen has designed and produced interior textiles for clients including the King of Qatar, the Pope, Estee Lauder and Gwyneth Paltrow. Also creating own label collections of home pieces for companies including Anthropologie, Pottery Barn and Designers Guild.

Since 2010 Karen’s large embroidered, painted and sculpted art pieces have been exhibited and sold in galleries and art fairs all over the world with solo shows in London, Paris and New York.

Karen was founder, senior lecturer and visiting professor of the Mixed Media MA course at the Royal College of Art, London. In 2015 Karen was made an RDI (a Royal Designer for Industry). This is an annual award given to 200 designers world- wide, in all fields, from engineering to architecture.

This exhibition explores some of Karen’s creative processes with sketch books of her drawings revealing a ceaselessly enquiring mind. An assortment of quirky relics such as plastic jewellery, millinery trimmings and old buttons have been collected over the years and sit waiting to be re-worked and up-cycled into one of her unique colourful extraordinary works of art.

The Gallery walls are transformed with several of Karen’s large scale, highly textured and much recognised framed birds and animals. Karen loves the freedom to be able to explore three-dimensional pieces. The large animals she embroiders see creatures wearing couture fashion fabric skins. Every piece produced has its own personality, humour and style.
A video recording of Karen using her much treasured old Irish

embroidery sewing machine is fascinating to watch, the thread and machine become one as she creates some of her complex designs.

Karen’s expressive fabric manipulation techniques and inspirational ideas push the boundaries of conventional embellishment to another level.

Karen quotes:
‘The ‘now’ of fashion is my driving force’

Karen’s book ‘Embellished’ (published by New Vintage 2012) is available for sale.

TALK - 24/7 STITCH - Thursday 12th May 7.00-8.30pm

Karen Nicol, mixed media textile artist, gives a fascinating talk on her career in embroidery, designing for fashion, interiors and galleries - she explores and expands on the amazing traditional vocabulary of embroidery to cover the demands of the many different aspects of her work.

Karen Nicol

A visual journey

Trudie lives and works in South Devon and is also a member of the Devon Guild of Craftsmen. She originally trained as a musician and oboist, playing in an orchestra in the Far East, then took a further degree in woven textiles at Central St Martins in London.

Trudie’s background in music merges into the woven worlds she creates, and the two become inseparable. For Trudie the process and making are very closely linked, making is totally in the present and requires compete focus.

Her latest collection is a tribute to British artist Winifred Nicholson 1893-1981 well known for her delicate colour sense expressed in her flower paintings mainly in domestic settings. Trudie captures the essence of the artist with her flower table weave.

Weave is a process of crossing threads, for Trudie, it can involve making connections, crossing over and pulling together threads of ideas, and giving them substance and materiality. She hand-dyes her own yarn and loom weaves in silk, embedding both colour and ideas within her canvas. Trudie develops a resource of visual references, colour, notes thoughts and information which are then translated onto the loom.

The rhythmical process of weaving provides a creative space for her ideas to develop, and feed back into her work.
Trudie was awarded winner of The Award of excellence by the Devon Guild selection committee out of 60+ exhibitors at the 2021 Devon Guild of Craftsmen Spring show with her series ‘A Woven Diary’.

Join Trudie for a free loom weaving demonstration in our Gallery, on the following dates:

Saturday 29th October, 11am to 3:30pm

Sunday 30th October, 11am to 3:30pm

Trudie Timlin-Brown

A woven world

Over 70 pieces of Textile Art make up this inspiring collection of textile work by individual artists around the world. The quality and creative energy of each piece is incredible, often very moving both visually and by the words that accompany each piece.

The idea of the Covid Chronicle came to London based artist Wendy Bliss in February 2021. Lockdown sapped her creative energy (temporarily), and she decided to use her time instead to create a ‘separately-and-together’ community based Art installation to mark this 21st century worldwide pandemic.

Instagram and Facebook came into their own, enabling her to reach textile artists worldwide with a cause, a template, and the assurance of a touring exhibition. Work very soon started to come in, and at a recent count there are 135 panels from over 15 countries.

The project is designed to stimulate thought and discussion, from the makers and viewers when on show to the public. Sewing friends were enlisted to stitch the panels together, to make coherent blocks of four, which it is anticipated will sell by silent auction during a planned tour, with the aim to raise money for the mental health charity, MIND. The artists were asked to write about their work to accompany each piece.

Wendy reached out to galleries and museums around the country, approaching the Sunbury Gallery in the early stages. We are delighted to be a part of this incredible journey and pleased to be able to share the spirit that has inspired the creation of this moving body of work.

Diana Springall, whose collection will form an integral part of the new development at the Sunbury Embroidery Gallery, was approached and generously agreed to contribute a piece to this extraordinary collection.

Diana is a revered creative textile embroiderer and practitioner who remains singularly unambitious about her own success. Through the decades she has extended her time, energy and invaluable knowledge to encouraging others while acquiring an extensive collection purchased from makers, often at a pivotal stage in their career. The sharing of this passion for contemporary embroidery remains Diana’s goal throughout.

This exhibition epitomises how the creative process of embroidery can bring communities together and reflect a sense of well being.

The travelling exhibition tour dates are:

C&W NHS Trust (7th-18th Mar);

ChippenhamMuseum (9th Apr-6th May);

Lightbox Gallery, Woking (10th May - 20th Jun);

Williamson Art Gallery & Museum,

Birkenhead (23rd Jun - 30th Jul);

Merton Priory Chapter House (Aug – Sep - dates TBC);

The Spode Museum, Stoke-on-Trent (30th Sep – 29th Oct)

Covid Chronicle

A 'Bayeux Tapestry' for a 21st Century Pandemic - in aid of MIND

Darren trained in Fashion Textiles, specialising in hand knit. His embroidery reflects his love of textiles, and the visual qualities present in fabric and thread. Darren aims to draw and paint with textiles, his mark making is achieved through sewing, contrasting surface qualities and embellishment. Often working with fabrics collected over many years.

He uses a domestic sewing machine to applique and free embroider personal narratives or ideas, inspired by memorabilia or his collection of vintage ‘Stitch Craft’ magazines. He feels that it is appropriate that he should be interpreting some of these images through stitch as the magazines provided a creative textile outlet for women during the period. Darren has successfully produced several series of textile narratives of work over the past decade, this latest body of work brings these characters into the 21st century to great effect.

As a member of the Sussex Guild of Craftsmen, Darren has exhibited at many of their shows throughout Sussex. He has also exhibited in Surrey, Brighton and West Dean and at specialist textile fairs in London.

Commissions are undertaken for personalised work or bespoke projects, and he specialises in responding to personal photographs and special occasions.

Darren Ball

Solo Exhibition

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