Embroidery

Work for sale is listed with prices in bold. Please use my contact form if you are interested in purchasing any pieces or would like additional information. Thank you.

A piece of calico has been rust dyed, resulting in bursts of orange in varying hues across the fabric. Into this, tiny stitches in orange and gold have been made to resemble embers of a fire. The edges of the fabric have been left raw, and it has been hammered into a piece of mahogany coloured wood with antique nails. — ^{Textures of Pain II (2025) Rust dyeing, hand embroidery. Calico, cotton and metallic threads, antique nails, hardwood. 19.5W x 25.2H cm. £150}

Textures of Pain (2025- ongoing) is an exploration in visualising my chronic pain. A near-universal experience, pain still manages to transcend language in our ability to convey what we’re feeling. This work is a response to questions asked of my pain during meditative approaches to making peace with it. Questions such as: “What texture are you?”, “Where do you live?” and “What is your trajectory?”. This approach of curiosity has been a long-standing way for me to manage the distress associated with chronic pain, and approach it from an alternative perspective.

A piece of off-white calico has been painted with abstract interlocking circles in yellows and pinks. On top of this, ecoprinting with leaves and berries has resulted in green leaf shapes and mottled purples dotted around the background. In the foreground, dried seed heads and flower stems have been embroidered onto the surface using couching stitch. — ^{New Reach (2025) Fabric painting, ecoprinting, hand embroidery. Calico, natural dyes, plant material, thread. 19W x 13.5H cm. £40}

^{Interrupted Desire Lines (2024) Hand embroidery. Found maps, tissue paper, shoe lace, acrylic yarn, cotton embroidery floss. 12W x 19H cm £50}

An advert for a course on personality disorders run by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in 2022 has been sun-printed onto cotton in pink ink. The edges are left raw. In red thread, certain lines have been underlined in running stitch. The paragraphs that feature underlined text read: "Registration is now open! Registration is now open for the upcoming Personality Disorders 2022 course, which is taking place on 10 June. Personality Disorder (PD) is a thorn in the flesh of many clinicians as, however they may wish to avoid managing those with such a diagnosis, those with a personality disorder label have a tenacious hold on the clinician. While only small minority of PD patients actively seek treatment - although often in a dysfunctional manner - the majority avoid contact with health professionals but nonetheless cause considerable distress both to themselves and those around them. The uncertain nature of PD diagnosis and the unproven nature of its treatment results in psychiatrists being 'damned if they do' (i.e. getting involved and then being blamed for the subsequent outcome) and 'damned if they don't' (i.e. avoiding responsibility and hence being blamed for the subsequent outcome). This course is aimed to equip clinicians with a rational and defensible approach in the management of this group."

A Thorn in the Flesh (2022-24)

An embroidery series examining the stigma surrounding personality disorders within mental health services, and the experiences of those given these labels

Finn Dobson

Embroidery

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