Disowned

House of Smalls

A new exhibition at the House of Smalls called ‘Childhood Interrupted’ prompted me to create a new piece of work called ‘Disowned’ for the Dollhouse gallery. 

The exhibition takes place at The House of Smalls, 103 Henderson Row, Stockbridge, Edinburgh EH3 5BB from the 30th January – 1st March 2025.

Childhood (noun): The condition of being a child; the period of life before puberty. Interrupted (adjective): Broken, discontinued, or hindered ~ House of Smalls.

Artists taking part in the Dollhouse  - Childhood Interrupted - exhibition
Artists taking part in the Dollhouse – Childhood Interrupted exhibition

Disowned

Life is like a jigsaw puzzle, with each piece representing our experiences, relationships and our family – but what happens when a sibling is disowned or renounced by a parent and suddenly those we hold dear are missing from our lives.

Disowned
Disowned

The child is no longer welcome in the family home, not invited to family events, and for the siblings there is a wider impact.

They have to be forever cautious in conversations, they omit names for fear of further tension or conflict, and contact with those estranged requires deception for fear of being discovered.

Disowned - detail
Disowned – detail

In my own family it’s happened over two generations leaving a legacy of family rifts that decades later, still exist.

Size 11.5 x 11.5cm. Hand and machine embroidered cotton cloth, Aurifil embroidery thread, vintage Sylko thread, tea dye.

This piece forms part of a series of small works created for the House of Smalls.

Insomnia

House of Smalls

A new exhibition at the House of Smalls called ‘The Time of Her Life IV’ prompted me to create a new piece of work called ‘Insomnia’ for the Dollhouse gallery

The exhibition takes place at The House of Smalls, 103 Henderson Row, Stockbridge, Edinburgh EH3 5BB from the 28th September – 27th October 2024.

‘This exhibition will feature the very diverse and relatable work of women artists responding to their thoughts, feelings, and emotions as they traverse the restless waters of perimenopause, menopause, before and beyond. It’s always a very emotive, honest, powerful, funny, and uplifting show.’ ~ House of Smalls.

Artists in the exhibition
Artists in the exhibition

Insomnia

‘In the morning you beg to sleep more, in the afternoon you are dying to sleep, and at night you refuse to sleep’. – Unknown

Insomnia
Insomnia

Difficulty sleeping is one of the most common complaints of women during menopause.

Insomnia
Insomnia

Changes in our hormones during menopause can impact our mental health as well as our physical health. Feelings of anxiety, stress and depression are closely linked with insomnia.

Size 11.5 x 11.5cm. Machine and hand embroidered cotton cloth, Aurifil thread.

This piece forms part of a series of small works created for the House of Smalls.

Update October 2024:

Thank you Amy Oliver for the beautifully curated ‘The Time of Her Life IV’ exhibition.

Screenshot
Screenshot

The images include artwork by Linda Harvey, Maria Walker, Marilyn Kyle and Hayley Mills-Styles.

Peterloo

House of Smalls

A new exhibition at the House of Smalls called ‘Moral Fibre’ prompted me to create a new piece of work called ‘Peterloo’ for the Dollhouse gallery

The exhibition takes place at The House of Smalls, 103 Henderson Row, Stockbridge, Edinburgh EH3 5BB from 1st – 25th August 2024. Part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

‘A good life is like a weaving. Energy is created in the tension. The struggle, the pull and tug are everything’ ~ Joan Erikson

Artists in the Dollhouse 'Moral Fibre' exhibition
Artists in the Dollhouse ‘Moral Fibre’ exhibition

Peterloo

“If we don’t vote, we are ignoring history and giving away the future” Pat Mitchell.

Our vote matters.

Peterloo
Peterloo

With each election, I think of those who came before us. Those who fought to give us the Right to Vote. Emelia Pankhurst and the fight for Women’s Suffrage; and the peaceful protestors at Peterloo in 1819.

On 16 August 1819, 60,000 people congregated in St Peter’s Field in Manchester – the largest ever political gathering of working-class people. Folk from towns across Lancashire marched to the field carrying banners with slogans supporting political reform and the right to vote; included were workers from Middleton near Rochdale, carrying a banner of locally woven blue silk, with the words ‘Liberty, Fraternity, Unity, Strength’ in hand-painted gold lettering.

Peterloo
Peterloo

Their peaceful protest turned bloody when Manchester magistrates gave orders to disperse the crowd. The Yeomanry pulled out their sabres and charged the crowd on horseback.  An estimated 18 people died and more than 650 were injured in the chaos.

The tragic incident is known as the Peterloo Massacre. A moment when ordinary people stepped up to protest in a way that has made its mark in history and with a legacy that lives on to today.

Size 11.5 x 11.5cm. Hand embroidered cotton cloth, DMC embroidery thread.

The Middleton banner is part of the Touchstones Rochdale archives.

Credit: Touchstones Rochdale, People’s History Museum.

This piece forms part of a series of small works created for the House of Smalls.

Update August 2024:

Peterloo in the ‘Moral Fibre’ Dollhouse exhibition.

Dollhouse exhibition
Dollhouse exhibition
Dollhouse
Dollhouse exhibition
Dollhouse exhibition