As the nights close in and thoughts turn to staying indoors and keeping warm the Sidmouth Society of Artists/Exmouth Art Group Zoom team were super excited to launch the start of their joint Winter program with something quite different and inspirational, here described by Sidmouth’s very own Cherry Ferris.

‘We hosted the wonderfully talented textile performance artist ‘Harriet Riddell’. A fabulous inspirational artist who has swapped paint brushes for thread and uses her sewing machine to free style draw in stitch!

Inspired by her grandmother, Harriet began to experiment with a free motion embroidery technique on her sewing machine which allowed her creative freedom in stitch. Later she went on to study Contemporary Applied Arts at the University of Hertfordshire. During her studies one of her art tutors encouraged Harriet to try using her sewing machine during a life drawing class to ‘free stitch’ the model. From that moment on she and her sewing machine were inseparable.

Harriet and her sewing machine could be found in pubs, cafes, clubs, launderettes and even nursing homes embroidering her quirky, heartwarming portraits and depicting the buildings around her in material, humility, humour, and thread. Words from casual conversations overheard whilst stitching soon began to find their way into her canvas, anchoring the image to time, place, community, and moment. Harriet’s sewing machine soon became a talking point, memory invoker and a conversation starter, as well as a unique and unusual medium for creating beautiful organic original art.

Her amazing stories were a joy to behold, full of life, enterprising ideas and passion. Her love of creation, compassion, and connection with others through her travels, stories and beloved thread shone from the screen. She is one brave and pioneering lady! Harriets surprising ad hoc workspaces have included challenging locations from the slums of Nairobi to the tea fields of the Himalayas and has covered subjects such as trains, city monuments and even bus stops!

Her canvases are as radical as her wonderful refreshing approach to art comprising saris, NHS uniforms, lost & found materials, laundry bags……& even face masks! It was one interesting, inspirational, and motivational afternoon!!! Thank you, Harriet’. For further information about the SSA please visit our website