Biography Born in Leicester (England) ,I grew up in an environment where art was alway a part of my life as both my mother and grandmother painted. The love of colour and creativity remained with me ,although I originally pursued a scientific career, obtaining a degree in biology. Over the years I took several evening classes in life drawing, painting and ceramics. I stayed home to raise our children and spent my creative energies on designing and making childrenswear for several years. Whilst I raised a family, I decided to return to formal study and took a Scottish Higher in art at james Watt College,Greencok .After this I was accepted onto a one year Portfolio course at the Glasgow School of Art ,Scotland . I then continued my studies in the design field ,taking a two year H.N.D. in Stitched Textile and Fashion at Cardonald College Glasgow ,completed in 2003. Throughout these courses ,drawing in all its forms was emphasised and my horizons for experimenting with many different media widened. In 2003 , I followed my husband to North Carolina where his work commitments had taken him . Here I found the time to work on experimenting with textile, photography and painting . Through the Visual Art Exchange in Raleigh and the Fine Arts League of Cary I had the opportunity to exhibit in several group shows and was represented by the Michael Lecher Gallery ,Cary NC. In 2006 I returned to my permanent home in Scotland to live and work from my home studio in Kilmacolm. In 2008 I licensed two designs to the needlepoint company Cleopatras Needle Ltd who translated them into beautiful cushion cover kits . These premium wool kits are available from needlecraft outlets scross the UK and internationally .I also developed a range of cat designs based on patterns found in Estonian textile and folk embroidery. These are of personal interest as I am of Estonian heritage. I have made several available as a range of cards which are available in various card/gift shops. | Artist statement. I cannot explain why I need to paint, draw ,be creative but it is something I have had to do as long as I can remember. Now I at last have the time to explore this urge and am combining many different mediums in my efforts to express myself and find a direction for my artwork. I spent some time exploring ways of combining textile with photography to create textures and patterns . Then I returned to paper, photo-collage and paint . I am always finding new inspiration in the world around me and always carry a camera to record observations. The natural world is almost always my starting point for colours and shapes . Sometimes I need to draw realistic representations of what I have seen ,other times I lose realism totally and am left with just the atmosphere of a location. Sometimes I need to work on a small scale where I feel in complete control ;other times I need to work large scale applying paint with a roller and working the surface with twigs and wire wool. Recent work has explored cats in several forms. Cats have always been part of my life and I am enjoying different ways of representing their personality and form. Painting and drawing always form the foundation to my work which I have recently carried over into wool .Needle felting involves using dyed wools as the medium for building pictures.These are inspired by photographs and sketches of local landscape and the wealth of colours and shapes on offer in the natural world. The direction of my work is always changing ,depending very much on my emotions , places I have seen and my frame of mind. Hopefully an overall progression can be seen and a sure direction will gradually evolve over time. Interview with Artistic Inverclyde Nov 2006 http://www.alternative-images.co.uk/page-art2art-keagle.php |
As you can see from my galleries my work is very mixed, translating designs from mixed media, to acrylic and then even into felt or fibre. I think this is because each piece is a reflection of me ,the events around me, the seasons and how I'm feeling. I would not be able to mass produce a certain style to please an audience or appeal to the tourist market. I try to always stay true to myself and produce things which make me personally happy .Many pieces are not for sale because they are too close to my heart but they are nevertheless shown here so that others can enjoy them too.
Member of the International feltmakers Association Member of Greenock Art Club | Article published September 2009 in 'Feltmatters' journal of the IFA |
Decs 2009 McLean Museum Christmas show ,Greenock
Dec 2009 Grampian Hospitals Trust -donation to small 'CD case' paintings fundraiser
October 2009 Greenock Art Club Annual Show
May 2009 -solo exhibit at Original Artists, Kempock Street ,Gourock
April 2009 -group exhibition in aid of diabetes research at the Wilson Davies art gallery in Quarriers Village ,'The Wee art show' of postcard art.
December 2008- Christmas Exhibition at the Mclean Museum and Art gallery ,Greenock
September 2008 - Greenock Art Club exhibition at the Mclean Museum ,Greenock
December 2007 - Artgecko Gallery ,Largs -Paintings and textile pieces
December 2007 - Grampian Hospitals Trust Exhibition - small 'CDcase' fundraiser
November 2007 - solo exhibition at the Kilmacolm Community Centre ,Kilmacolm .
