Awards & Sponsorship

• About the Selected Awards
• 2012 Winners
• Specialist Judges • Prizes
• Previous Winners: 2011 | 2010 | 2009

Melissa Warren

Textiles & Needlecrafts Category

Melissa Warren
www.melissawarren.co.uk

I live and work in The Rhondda Valley in South Wales designing and making knitted textiles in my workshop/gallery ‘Lemon Blues’ . With my husband John and two sons, I moved to Wales 21 years ago. All of us are now in the Creative industries. I was privileged to study Constructed Textiles at Winchester School of Art in the 1970s, showing at Texprint 1 on leaving and becoming a Crafts Council Selected Member. My teaching career includes part time lecturing in F.E. and H.E. on National Diploma, Foundation Degree and City & Guilds courses, running workshops and occasional residencies also Assessing and Course Tutor roles. Having been a member of The Makers Guild in Wales for 19 years, I have taken various voluntary roles, including chairing the organisation for 4 years and I am currently a Trustee and Vice Chair. My work is shown in ten galleries, I have exhibited and sold in Japan, U.S.A, France, Belgium and Ireland. I have a passion for textiles and would expect to reward those who show the same, through excellent and sympathetic use of materials with creativity and skill.

Judge’s Statement

Dionne Swift’s engaging and innovative work commands huge respect from her peers as well as from other professionals and the public.
Her great skill and extensive knowledge of her materials, techniques and processes are leading to exciting synergies.  She not only breaks boundaries but admits to ignoring them, the results showing an uncompromising integrity.  Tracking her career leaves one anticipating even better to come.
Dionne’s work inspires and encourages others and most importantly, I think her work is distinctive and memorable.  It will be valued in decades to come.

In the Current Issue

Potter Doug Fitch will be exhibiting at
Earth & Fire Ceramics Fair at Rufford in June