Janet Bolton: Modern textile collage

Janet Bolton creates her tranquil and harmonious textile art pictures using the simplest of hand sewing techniques; collage, appliqué and straight stitch.

Her inspiration comes from visual experiences, memories and imagination. Sometimes a fabric’s texture or history inspires a composition. For Janet, the placement of each element within the composition is important to her work, in order to evoke a particular feeling. She favours an uncluttered approach with good use of space, to highlight the collaged areas, their colour and composition.

Janet trained in Fine Arts before moving into textile art, following her lifelong passion for working with fabric. She has been on the Crafts Council Selected Index of Makers since 1985 and her work is held in both public and private collections. Janet has become a master of interlacing her home and work commitments to suit her desired lifestyle, working from her home studio and taking the time to enjoy the process of creation.

In this interview, Janet shares how her career developed and gives her advice for aspiring textile artists. She also describes the process of creating her very personal artworks, driven by memories and experiences.