JILL DENTON
Textile Artist & Designer
I have worked for most of my life with textiles in one way or another, and now work mainly in handmade felt, to which I was introduced about 15 years ago. It’s an absorbing and addictive technique which never fails to engage those who try it. Working spontaneously and passionately I find the process of feltmaking both fascinating and therapeutic, being constantly delighted by the slightly unpredictable outcome, and, unlike paint, the way in which the fibres hold their pure colour when mixed. I also work in mixed media, using ‘found’ objects and recycled fabrics and materials wherever possible. I am always excited by the possibility of giving new life to an object that has been discarded, and to create something beautiful from or with it. Living in the South West I am surrounded by natural beauty, and my inspiration is drawn mostly from the world around me, the stunning sea and landscapes of Devon and Cornwall, the hedgerows and the wild flowers, the colours, sights and sounds of the countryside.
My intention as an artist is to create beautiful things, both decorative and practical, and as a teacher to inspire and encourage others to do the same. I also work as a Community Choir Leader and sharing music with others gives me as much pleasure as does my art.
In my work I am anxious to communicate the inspiration and making process can be as important as the final object. This is how I approach all my work, and it is due to my work ethic and the environmental aspect of my work, that I was recently commissioned to produce several pieces of site specific artwork for a new ecohotel in North Cornwall.
My passions in life are textiles, music and my family (not necessarily in that order!) and I am happiest when surrounded by all three. Having had a lifelong affair with textiles, colour and texture, I now have work in private collections in Britain, India, Australia, Canada and the USA. Having a background in fashion, as well as now producing decorative artwork, I also create wearable, practical and functional items including shawls, jackets, scarves, jewellery, cushions, bags, cards etc. I delight in sharing my skills with others and I lecture in Textiles & Fashion at North Devon College. I regularly teach other textile-related workshops and courses at all levels at various venues around the country.
Dixie Appleton-Wahl
Artist Profile
Dixie was born in Chiswick, London in 1962. She attended Winchester School of Art and spent six months travelling in Mexico before moving back to London and starting a successful mural and painting business. In 1987 Dixie spent a further six months travelling and painting in Turkey, and in 1988 returned to Central America where she spent three and a half years travelling all over Guatemala and Mexico; finally settling in a tiny village on the Oaxacan coast. Inspired by the colour and spirit of the country, she painted large figurative works and colourful “unstill lifes”. Dixie exhibited in Mexico and Puerto Escondido and completed several large commissions and murals.
In 1991 during a trip to Canada where she worked at Haliburton School of Fine Art with children in summer art courses, Dixie met her husband and they settled in Globe, Arizona for two years. Here she was inspired by the wealth of untouched driftwood on the far shores of Lake Roosevelt and began making driftwood sculptures alongside her paintings. In 1994 Dixie had a solo show in Globe, Arizona before moving back to England to live and raise a family. Dixie exhibited for many years at Coombe Farm Gallery in South Devon and also at the Isca Gallery in Budleigh Salterton, and the Burton Art gallery & Museum and The Plough Arts Centre in North Devon. She shared an open studio during ‘Nine Days of Art’ with Paul Lewin in 2002 and has had solo exhibitions at the Appledore Arts Festival, The Plough and The Studio in Cornworthy, South Devon. She has sold dozens of paintings to private collectors in England, Canada and the USA and also has a painting in the Oxford University archives. Dixie has painted over 50 murals in hospitals, shops, pubs, restaurants, hotels and private homes and has worked with children in four countries on everything from room-sized boat sculptures to group exhibitions. These included several consecutive years of working with hundreds of kids to produce fabulous exhibitions at the Appledore Art Festival, and more recently an exhibition of large wooden cut-outs made with children from 11 schools in the Torrington area. She had held workshops with children and adults in a large variety of arts and crafts mediums, from mosaics to painted furniture, driftwood creations to decoupage, painting and collage to sculpture.
Dixie is currently one of two ‘Plough Artists’ for 2010 with several planned workshops and an exhibition scheduled for January. She is also one of ten artists who have formed a cooperative gallery in Butcher’s Row in Pannier Market – “The Little Gallery”, where some of her works can be seen.
Dixie can be contacted at wahl@talktalk.net or 01237 425163.