Ann Vollum: Finding freedom in stitching

Ann Vollum has been an artist for as long as she can remember. As a child, she loved to paint and make things from felt and fur.

But, although she had a yearning to study textile design, the adults in Ann’s life had different ideas.

Her teachers (at what she describes as a ‘horrendous and very snooty boarding school in England’) did not consider anything other than architecture a worthy pursuit for girls who showed an aptitude for the visual arts. And her mother was terrified that an art degree would lead to a life of poverty.

So, having been taught from an early age to tread the conventional path, Ann conformed and went to study Architecture at Newcastle University. She was ill-suited to the subject and ended up learning to be a graphic designer and art director on the job instead. Alongside this career, Ann continued to create art; painting in oil and acrylic, drawing in ink, combining the ink drawing with painted backgrounds.