Ann Sharman

Biography

My Mother was an embroiderer and also knitted so it was obvious that I would also be interested in the world of textiles. I did cross stitch, made clothes for myself and knitted. I then married a CDT teacher. He was very encouraging, supported me and suggested that maybe I should try to work on my own designs. We did regular walks in the Surrey countryside and I took photographs throughout the different seasons. One day I decided to try using free machine stitching to make a birthday card for my husband using one of my photographs as a starting point. I had a book which told me how to do free machining so I set to and taught myself from it. That was over 25 years ago and I am still stitching landscapes. I have had numerous solo exhibitions, sold work to clients in Canada, USA, France as well as the UK. I have taught classes in Surrey and Somerset and have taken part in Somerset Art Weeks Open Studios since 2005. My method of working each landscape is that I paint the background fabric with watercolours before I begin to stitch. I would like to incorporate more painted areas in my landscapes so decided to go to art classes to learn to paint watercolours. The classes have opened up a new world for me and I look forward to more experimentation with paint and a wider range of colour use.