Emily Prowse-Mclean
Textile artist
Textile art from north west Wales
Hello! My name is Emily. I’m a textile artist and I live in North Wales with my husband and two boys. I have a BTEC National Diploma in Art & Design and a degree in Health and Social Care.
I’m a work from home mum and ethical lifestyle blogger, and I love to spend my free time reading, creating, gardening, and going on outdoor adventures.
I’ve always loved creating, especially painting, drawing and sculpting. As a child I would draw and paint for hours on end, and I was always known at school for being ‘the one who could draw’.
My mum and dad are also very creative and both of them encouraged me as I grew up to develop my skills.
About me
Background
Before I discovered my love for textile art, acrylic and watercolour paint had been my go-to media. However, in 2018 I discovered needle felting and it changed the way I expressed myself creatively and produced my artwork from then on.
Nature is my biggest inspiration. Most of my work consists of trees, leaves plants, and rows of flowers or moss. These natural elements are usually the focal point of my work; that and the moon and night sky.
It’s not just my textile art that’s inspired by nature… I’m a keen gardener so my home and garden are filled with plants. Even the art on the walls of my home is mostly connected to nature in some way.
Techniques
When I discovered needle felting I loved it straight away, took to it instantly and very quickly developed my techniques.
I then took up wet felting, having been inspired by one of my favourite artists, Moy Mackay. This gave me scope to create bigger pieces with finer blended colours.
The structure of my pieces is very basic with lots of colours, as I love creating vibrant yet moody scenes. The hand stitched embroidery takes centre stage, adding detail. I use a variety of embroidery stitches and unusual types of wool to add interest and texture. I have a large stock of curly wool that’s fantastic for bushes, ferns and moss.
Materials
I use very few materials in my work, mostly just different types of wool from different breeds of sheep, and embroidery thread and cotton thread for very fine detail. I occasionally embellish my work with small beads, especially when I embroider lots of small flowers in a piece – they can add a nice layer of 3D detail.
I buy from a couple of wool suppliers who have their own loved and well cared-for sheep and do all of the shearing/cleaning and dyeing themselves.
My suppliers are small and/or local businesses. It’s very important to me that I support small businesses and self-employed people.
Gallery
Here are some examples of my work. These include embroidered felted landscapes, a felted cat I made for my mum (it’s one of her cats, Bear), and some felted pumpkins I made for Hallowe’en. I’ve also included photos of some of my paintings; I mostly work in acrylics but also enjoy using watercolours and pastels.
You can click on these images to enlarge them and view the gallery as a slideshow.
