Megan Sharkey’s work explores human experience expressed through textile making. She uses hand-stitch, paint and fabric manipulation, creating textile artworks from an intimate scale to larger installation works. Starkey works on a range of found, gathered and sourced scraps of fabric, binding them together until they are one.
Self-taught or art school?
I studied textile design, specifically knit but I was always interested in a range of constructed textile techniques. I started working in fashion with a London based independent label and (at a pretty young age TBH) became the managing director. After a few hectic years of shows, production and travel, I realised that I was ready to make things for myself…. It’s been a long process of discovering my art and what I enjoy creating.
If you could own one work of art what would it be?
Maybe a Ruth Asawa wire sculpture… or a Rothko, or…
How would you describe your style?
Abstract, calm, expansive but detailed.
Is narrative important within your work?
Only in a very personal way. I don’t try and push the narrative for the viewer but it is important for me to have a thread to follow when working.
What or who inspires your art?
I enjoy reading and learning about things that are too big or abstract for me to comprehend or put easily into visual terms – cosmology, science, microbiology. And the every day, walks through the park, over-heard conversations.
Are there any recurring themes within your work and can you tell us about them?
The themes that I keep returning to are so big and all-encompassing – connection, memory, space… but I make my work to explore how I’m personally affected by these themes, what they mean to me emotionally and how I can use thread to carry that emotion.
Where’s your studio and what’s it like?
I used to mostly work from home in my lovely light-filled corner surrounded by plants. I’ve just moved into a new studio, shared with others, so let’s see how I get on with it. I’m currently based in Porto, Portugal. A great city for creatives as it’s easy-going, sunny and cheap-ish.
Do you have any studio rituals?
I try to be quite focused on what I want to work on and when: I’m used to tidying up after myself after working so it’s built into some habits. If there are too many half-started ideas around I get distracted very easily. And tea, buckets of tea.
What are you working on currently?
I’m trying some textile samples with some recycled bits of perspex that look a bit like glass, playing with fragility and lightness.
Where can we buy your art?
meganbsharkey.com is the home for my art, reach out with questions (and commissions!)
What are your ambitions?
To live a free, purposeful life making art and in some way, it benefits others, not just those who can afford to buy work, but those who weren’t born with the same privileges.
You can view Megan’s work in The FLUX Virtual Exhibition
For more information visit:
Meganbsharkey.com INSTA: @megansharkeytextiles
