Philippa Ashcroft
UK
Driven by a delicate and intuitive approach to hand-stitching, Philippa bridges contemporary craft and fine art by using traditional embroidery techniques in a non-conformist style. She creates monochromatic abstract pieces, usually featuring subtle black-on-black or white-on-white stitching. Drawing inspiration from themes of motherhood and overlooked elements in nature, her work focuses on the small, quiet details hidden within everyday life - the tiny wonders. Her process is slow and meditative, acting as an intentional pursuit of calm in an overstimulated world.
Committed to environmental integrity, she consciously minimises textile waste by sourcing materials through second-hand channels. While her current textile practice contrasts with her background in props and scenic painting for the film industry, she brings a touch of that movie-making, 'nothing is impossible' attitude directly to her studio work.
Photographs: By the artist