Profile

Jan was born in London, England. She trained as a painter and lithographer before falling in love with textile art. Her work has been exhibited and sold in the UK, USA, Australia, Germany, Israel, Japan and many other parts of the world.

Landscape in all it forms has fascinated Jan for several decades. Fleeting changes of light and subtle nuances continually intrigue and challenge her to create work where elements have been simplified or exaggerated whilst still retaining it entity. The color palette and textural surfaces are exciting and presenting these particular qualities continue to test Jan. Her aim is to create a simple image that captures the essence of the place along with accumulated memories and emotions experienced at a particular time.

Most of her recent work has been created using hand and machine stitching on soluble film to create a new cloth. In some instances, this is further developed with more stitching, beading or the use of an embellishing machine to integrate certain aspects of the piece. Jan continues to experiment and develop new techniques.

Jan has become one of the best-known teachers of textile art and has held workshops in the UK, across Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Early on, Jan wrote some books introducing children to textiles and collage. Then she produced adult books, some co-authored with Jean Littlejohn. She presented her own series on Embroidery for the BBC. In 1997, Jan co-founded Double Trouble Enterprises with Jean to publish books and promote further interest in textile arts. They have written 27 books and 3 DVDs.

Jan, with Jean, is the Joint President and Honorary Member of the Embroiderers’ Guild. She is a Fellow of the Society of Designer Craftsmen and the longest serving member of the 62 Group, joining in 1963.

The following quote is from ‘Inspired to Stitch’ by Diana Springall

“Though successfully and productively balancing a world of the artist with that of teacher and lecturer, Jan must surely rank as one of Britain’s most influential figures in the world of embroidery She continues to inspire not only through her own artifacts but by the continuous demand for her classes and educational publications.”