These panels start with an original piece of free machine embroidery on fine silk. I use a selection of thread types, using 2 colours at a time, one on the top and one on the bottom, and keep layering these up to about 8 layers thick. This gives the embroidery a depth and subtlety of colour. I use mostly pure silk threads on the top layer which gives the embroidery a rich lustre and intensity.

A recess is then routed into a wooden panel to correspond exactly with the shape of the finished embroidery. The panel is prepared and painted with 6 layers of Marble Dust Gesso on the front and 3 on the reverse. The marble dust catches the light and the panel takes on the appearance of stone and the sheen of marble.

I then apply pure artist pigments to the panel which bind with the gesso but retain their seductive powdery quality. I favour natural earth, plant and metal pigments and grind them to mix my own colours. Finally the embroidery is applied and the work made up into a box frame.

I am often asked about the durability of these pieces. It is always hard to give a definitive answer but the materials and the processes I use are ancient and the V&A Museum has many examples of embroideries on silk dating back to the 12th century which are surprisingly fresh and immediate today while cave paintings bear witness to the durability of pigments.

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