Over the past two decades, British textile artist, Emily Jo Gibbs, has made quite a name for herself. Establishing an international reputation for her delicate textiles, her work can be found in several permanent museum collections including the V&A in London and The Museum of Fine Art in Houston.
But when it comes to the artistic process itself, her work doesn’t require more than a quiet room and much patience. “I work from home,” relayed Jo Gibbs in an interview with Textile Artist. “I like to sit at the kitchen table in front of French windows because the light is so good. I have a metalwork bench in the garage but I do far less metal work at the moment, my flat work has taken over.”
She divides her artwork into three distinct periods: Handbags, Vessels, and Flat Work. Her most recent series, The Value of Making, depicts various making disciplines through hand-stitched still life portraits in a collage of silk organza. Using mercerized cotton rather than embroidery thread, Jo Gibbs reflects in this series on the skill, dexterity, and creative problem solving of people who make things.
“I’m very interested in finding new audiences and telling different stories perhaps by working with distinctive groups or museum collections,” she adds. “I’ve found the stories I tell, although extremely personal are also universal.” Follow her personal and impersonal work on Instagram.
