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When textile artist Jane Hunter was on the lookout for somewhere to site her new studio, there was nowhere with a better fit.
Artist Jane Hunter is Paisley born and bred – so when she was looking for a new studio to base her business from, she didn’t have to look too far.
As Jane works mainly with textiles, there could be few sites more fitting than the Old Embroidery Mill in Paisley’s Anchor Mill site – home to the J&P Coats thread-making empire which stretched around the globe and at one point produced 90 per cent of the world’s sewing thread.
Here, she tells us why she chose to work in Paisley…
“I am a visual artist working mainly with textiles, inspired by landscapes, maps and geology. I grew up and still live in Paisley and my daughters go to school here.
“I spent a long time working elsewhere before moving into my creative career. It was Paisley’s bid to be UK City of Culture 2021 which really helped open my eyes to what was on my own doorstep and led to me relocating my studio.
“The initial pull to set up a business in The Old Embroidery Mill was the history of it because embroidery is what I do. It led me to do a bit of reading about the history of the thread mills – the scale of what went on here was quite amazing.
“The other thing I like is the view – from my window I can look out over the town and see the historic buildings and the spires…that’s really inspiring for my work.
“I would advise any other creative businesses to think about setting up in Paisley because the potential is massive – there is such a great community of creative people.”
Jane is available for public art commissions. You can find out more about her work on her website.
