This is something I hear quite a lot when I’ve exhibited, and I think about it a lot. I have to remember to take the compliment that’s intended, and not bump on the vocabulary. I know they’re saying how well I’ve captured the likeness, or how much they love the composition or subject; but why clever?

Partly it’s the result of using an unusual medium. It’s what I was grappling with in the “why sew” blogs a while back. Why textiles? why take something that’s got such a strong practical use and connection for all of us in the clothes we wear, the cushions we sit on, the carpets under our feet – why take that to use as a medium for art? Stick to dressmaking, embroider and embellish if you must, but don’t stick it up on the wall as art? Well, that’s the problem textile artists always have, and almost always have to defend themselves against accusations of not being proper artists.

Actually, I have no problem with that one for two reasons. First, having been the odd one out of the family and not gone to art college, I am very happy to sit in my imposter syndrome and make no claims to being an artist whatsoever (hence never being able to answer the dreaded “And what do you do?” question). And secondly if textiles aren’t allowed to be Art because they are only Craft, well, bring it on. I bloody love Craft, love and honour the traditions, the dedication to technique, and patient commitment of hours and hours to the work. I love the history of it, the charting of likenesses and differences over time and regions, and, I suppose, the female hand in so much of it.

Anyway, couldn’t we make the same argument about paint? Gosh, look at this painting – how clever of the artist to take something we usually just splash on a wall to make it a bit more waterproof, or cover up blemishes, or just make the room a nice colour. How clever of them to use that commonplace practical medium to reproduce an image. Clever!

And having got thus far, and run out of steam, as you do, when ranting over absolutely nothing, I was at an exhibition some time later, gazing closely and adoringly at some very fine work – I can’t remember the exact medium, but I think it might have been an oil painting – I heard myself murmuring, you guessed it, “How clever.” And it really, bloody was. That person was a genius.

So, there you go, some utterly unfounded thoughts on medium and textiles for you. Make of it what you will.