From a small studio, in the heart of the Worcestershire countryside, I create a range of unique, naturally hand dyed and eco printed silk scarves, using fresh plant materials gathered from my garden and natural plant extracts responsibly sourced from the wild. The relatively unpredictable nature of the process is always exciting, as the leaves give up their tannins to the silk and the final print is revealed.
Drawing on the diverse beauty of the natural world, I also create a range of original, textile wall art, felted 3d vessels, such as vases and bowls and small, giftable items like my individually hand crafted felt bookmarks. I love texture and colour and the hands-on approach to my craft, manipulating fibres and fabrics into something beautiful. Combining felting techniques with hand and free motion embroidery, a closer inspection reveals the depth, texture and rich tones created through my use of wool, silks and other effect fibres.
I love to share my skills and to encourage others to explore their creativity too. In response to this, I teach needle felting picture workshops in my local area and have developed a small range of needle felting picture kits to do at home.
I have always been a naturally creative soul. I don’t have any formal textile or arty qualifications. I am pretty much self-taught, experimenting as I go and loving the tactile nature of my work. Every piece that I design and create, is inspired by my love of nature. Mostly, I am here at home, surrounded by lush green fields, gently undulating hills and woodland filled with wildlife. Occasionally, my love of the coast interrupts this rural idyll, and I am filled with an overwhelming desire to be by the sea in Cornwall. The colours of the ancient landscape and ever-changing light, reflected in the sea, feed into my work for a spell and creating something with a strong coastal narrative helps to satisfy my longing, for a little while at least!
Nature and the natural world provide the inspiration, the colour palette and the textures that inform my one-off pieces. I create when the mood takes me and I have no desire to scale up or mass produce on demand. I have a regular presence on social media and if I’m not showing you my latest hand-crafted pieces, I might be sharing some of my making process, interspersed with photos from my daily dog walks, sharing my love of nature, helping you to understand what I see and how it transfers to my textile art. Connecting with customers is important to me. Worcestershire Open Studios provides a valuable, opportunity to meet visitors face to face, to talk to you about my work, to explain the inspiration behind it, to share with you some of the creative processes I use and the time that I invest in creating a unique piece, alongside my desire to be as sustainable as possible in my practice. I hope you will come and find me during this year's Worcestershire Open Studios, I’d love you to come along and view my work. I am always happy to chat and you are very welcome to ask questions. You will see a full range of current work and be able to see some textile works in progress, allowing you to gain a better understanding about the creative process from start to finish.
In the meantime, you can find more of my work in my online shop here:
https://thebritishcrafthouse.co.uk/shop/louise-hancox-textile-artist/
Events:
Finalist, Broadway Arts Festival Exhibition, 2021
International Feltmakers Exhibition, Oriel CRiC Gallery 2022
Vale of Evesham Art Society Exhibition, Lifford Hall, Broadway 2023
Memberships:
International Felt Makers Association
Threads – Worcester Stitch & Textile Art Group
Vale of Evesham Art Society
Arts Rising Collective
Mostly Felt
Awards:
SBS Small Business Sunday Winner