Juanita Buchan
I create fine art embroideries and paintings. I’m most inspired by medieval art, tapestries, 17th Century Dutch/Flemish paintings, intricate patterns and vibrant colours. Thread painting is a contemporary embroidery technique I use to recreate traditional still life and portraiture. I embroider initial silk paintings with hand and free machine stitching, bringing painting skills and fine detail to my textiles. I went to school in Spain as a small child and was taught to sew by the nuns. Later in my teens, I made my own clothes. Then when my daughters went to school I enrolled on a City and Guilds course, which gave me the confidence to become an artist. When I see beauty, inspiration challenges me to recreate it in paint or embroidery. Each time, I tell myself ‘I can do this if I try hard enough’, stretching my skills to higher and higher levels. There have been lots of mistakes along the way, but hard work and perseverance have enabled me to complete each piece to progressing standards.
