by Sarah Maddison My second ‘Passionate Woman’ for the exhibition is the amazing Elizabeth Shrewsbury, perhaps better known as Bess of Hardwick. She was a most remarkable women who became the richest woman in England during the Tudor reign. There is no doubt that she married well – four times in all – but herContinue reading “No. 17 Bess of Hardwick”
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No. 16 Clarice Cliff
Tea at the Silk Mill by Janice Ballard Clarice Cliff is regarded as one of the most influential ceramics artists of the 20th Century. She started work at ‘The Potteries’ in 1912 aged 13. By the age of 28 she had her own studio and launched her renowned ‘Bizarre’ Art Deco pattern. Her factory continued to produce her unique pottery shapes and colours until 1964. This piece is inspiredContinue reading “No. 16 Clarice Cliff”
No. 15 Coco Chanel
Fashion Changes but Style Endures by Mandy Dunning Coco Chanel led an eventful life. She started out as a seamstress, a singer and a rich man’s play thing which led to a career making hats and then clothes for French high society. She inhabited two worlds – the world of society and the one ofContinue reading “No. 15 Coco Chanel”
No. 14 Lillian Bilocca
Headscarf Revolutionaries by Sarah Davis In the winter of 1968, 58 men and three Hull trawlers were lost at sea. Lillian Bilocca, wife, mother and daughter of trawlermen had had enough. Along with Yvonne Blenkinsop, Mary Denness and Christine Smallbone, she mobilised the women of Hessle Road to campaign for improvements to safety regulations inContinue reading “No. 14 Lillian Bilocca”
No. 13 Hidden Figures
by Alison Young My inspiration for Hidden Figures is the story of the African-American women who worked as ‘Human Computers’ from1935 for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), a precursor to NASA. They were segregated from the white workers and this did not change until 1958. The black on black equations, on the left, represents the way the African-AmericanContinue reading “No. 13 Hidden Figures”
No. 12 The Lionesses
Inspiring the Next Generation by Mandy Dunning Following in the footsteps of previous generations, the Lionesses have inspired millions of girls to take up football. Why? Because they value every member of the team, they work together as a collective force, a force that recognizes hunting together wins the biggest prey, hence the name LIONESSES.Continue reading “No. 12 The Lionesses”
No. 11 Vita Sackville-West
Sissinghurst by Janice Ballard Vita Sackville-West was a prolific writer, gardener, traveller and lover of life. She created her beloved gardens from bare ground, and Sissinghurst was her passion to the end. Her famed ‘White Garden’ was renowned worldwide and ahead of its time. She explored the use of one colour – white – to display her love of planting. My piece uses multiple whites, which change depending on the juxtaposition andContinue reading “No. 11 Vita Sackville-West”
No. 10 Taylor Swift
EVERY i DOTTED, EVERY STORY FINISHED by Sarah Maddison When I asked my daughter who she would include in ‘Passionate Women’ she emphatically said – TAYLOR SWIFT – not just for being a global music phenomenon, but also for her philanthropy and the remarkable effect she has had on both popular culture and the World’s economy. TheContinue reading “No. 10 Taylor Swift”
No. 9 Jane Austen
Next year marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth and Whitchurch Silk Mill are engaged in a creative collaboration with Jane Austen’s House to produce silk ribbons inspired by the colours at Chawton. https://whitchurchsilkmill.org.uk/jane-austens-house-collaboration/ We couldn’t resist including Jane Austen in our Passionate Women collection and so we embarked on a group project inspiredContinue reading “No. 9 Jane Austen”
No. 8
Passionate about Pinnies by Alison Hulme Alison’s wonderful self-portrait gives you a fascinating insight into her work as a textile artist. Screen-printing, colour and pinnies – Alison is certainly passionate about all three. This piece is for sale at the Whitchurch Silk Mill exhibition alongside several other beautiful works from Alison – including pinnies!
The Alchemist's Needle 