About Ana

Artists Statement

We are all human. How we come to be who we are, how we think, feel and react to the world in which we live, is the compelling interest and inspiration in the work I create.

Stitch, for me, is a way of communicating, of expressing my own thoughts and feelings, of remembering something that deeply touched me or of expressing wishes and desires. 

Cloth, and clothes in particular, carry connection to history and stories in our lives. Whether to make personal statements or show status, whether to warm or decorate, attract or repel, cloth communicates, whether we are conscious of it or not. It is a powerful canvas and when marked by stitch, the soul either shows itself or is hidden by it.

Ana Kirby

Born and raised in South Africa, but of Portuguese origin, I grew up surrounded by women who valued and enjoyed fabric, thread, yarn and embellishments of all kinds. Mostly they took great pleasure in transforming these into either useful or beautiful objects, and more often than not both.

As a young girl and growing adult I made various wearable items both in knitted yarn and sewn fabric. Throughout my professional life I continued to create but mainly as a hobby, or when useful items for the family or home were required.

The joy of textiles

It was after semi retirement in 2008 that I engaged with textiles and the joy of creating in a more focussed way. I was living in France at the time and enrolled in a City and Guilds Patchwork and Quilting Course.

The love of fabric with all it holds in its texture and colour and story has deepened and widened over the years to the stage where I am always engaged with various creative projects at any point in time.

Having moved back to the U.K. some years ago I was fortunate to have been accepted by the Contemporary Quilters West group as a member, a group of talented and generous women who have given me the opportunity, the challenge, and the support to continue to develop my own creativity.

I also belong to the Six Dames group, a collaboration between English and French textile artists.

 

Emerging out of chaos