Siobhán Jordan

As a crafter Siobhan is particularly interested in combining painting techniques with stitch and embroidery to examine new aspects of traditional process. She is inspired by practicality and craft expertise of the matriarchal women in her family as well as her farming father and fore fathers; their deep respect for the land and heritage. She looks to understand and honour her family history through her examination of the process they practiced; often our of necessity, the seemingly banal or ordinary. Over the past 12 years she has created a natural paradise to teach and learn in on her small holding in South county Carlow. A small forest, wild areas, fruit areas and meditative spaces combine to enrich her craft and learning practices as well as the environment around her. As a crafter Siobhan is particularly interested in combining painting techniques with stitch and embroidery to examine new aspects of traditional process. She is inspired by practicality and craft expertise of the matriarchal women in her family as well as her farming father and fore fathers; their deep respect for the land and heritage. She looks to understand and honour her family history through her examination of the process they practiced; often our of necessity, the seemingly banal or ordinary. Over the past 12 years she has created a natural paradise to teach and learn in on her small holding in South county Carlow. A small forest, wild areas, fruit areas and meditative spaces combine to enrich her craft and learning practices as well as the environment around her.

Q&A

Artist Statement

Siobháns work examines our interpretation and conversance with the past, through a veil of tactile emotion.

It evolves from play but is rooted in honouring the extraordinary within the mundane; a world of possibility and freedom.

She is interested in the vicissitudes of daily life, how fluid realities inform the narratives of our history and our relationship with the environment.

Through a combination of stitch, paint and photography, stories are rendered that reflect our shared dependence on nature and the land, while revealing other windows into our sense of self.

What craft do you work with?

Textiles, stitch, fabric manipulations, thread dying, paint, photography.

What inspires you to work with this craft?

She is inspired by practicality and craft expertise of the matriarchal women in her family as well as her farming father and fore fathers; their deep respect for the land and heritage.

How do you start your creative process?

I always start with walking and just being in a space. I use photography and sketches to capture it’s essence. I bring these back these to the studio where I start work on multiple paintings at once. My process is intuitive, I feel my way through it dying threads to match my colours as I go. I love starting a collection when the possibilities seem endless. I use a combination of processes layering paint with image transfer until I’m happy with the composition. I’ll then start into the hand embroidery where I curate my collection of vintage threads, beads and sequins to compliment the piece. This can the hardest part as it’s sometimes sore and always slow work. I’m working on my plein air painting skills and want to work more in the land rather than retreating to the comfort of my studio.

How would you best describe your workspace and what tools could you not do without?

I’m very lucky to have a great studio to work in. It doubles as a classroom for my art school two days a week but I push back the tables and take over the other five days. I have collected a large supply of art and textile supplies; all of which I need!! 🙂 but my thimble is an absolute must have. I also adore my schminke paint pans (a treat to work with), and of course I love to rummage through my collections of beads and buttons.

Are there new techniques you would like to try?

I love exploring new techniques. I’ve recently invested in some screen printing supplies and am really enjoying exploring that process in my work.

What have you learnt or the best advice you have received that you would like to share with fellow crafters?

Great advice I’ve gotten was to keep going and to not give up! It can be very lonely working alone in the studio so a network of other crafters and makers is really lovely to have so put yourself out there! I’d love to collaborate with a potter at some stage to make some art.