Following her graduation from the RSN Degree in 2017, Alice Brady moved back to her home in Dublin, Ireland. While working part-time, Alice began work on a series of pieces inspired by Irish Wildflowers. She was especially interested in their links to Irish Folklore. Each flower symbolises something different within the folklore tradition and this is expressed in her work through ancient Ogham writing. Alice went on to include Ogham writing in other works, particularly in commissioned pieces. This love of Irish Folklore, Language, Landscape and History is still quite prominent in Alice’s work. As of late though, it has become much more abstract, with a focus on texture created through stitch. Constantly inspired by her surroundings, Alice is hoping to bring some of this abstract, textural work into a new series with a more urban subject.

Alice says: “Most recently I collaborated with another 2017 RSN Alumna, Bethany Duffy, to create works inspired by Ancient Goddesses. As this happened over lockdown, the work was shared through social media. We each created a design, sent it to each other, and stitched it in our own way. There was no discussion or guidance as we wanted to truly compare our styles, materials and techniques. It’s so interesting to see how differently two artists can interpret the same piece and we wanted to encourage others to be creative with it too”.

You can learn more about this work on Alice’s website, or on Alice and Bethany’s social media pages.

Alice loves to share her knowledge and love of embroidery, and began teaching classes and workshops around Dublin quite soon after graduation. Most of these take place in The LAB Gallery, Dublin  but COVID restrictions have presented new challenges in this field, and teaching has gradually moved online. Over lockdown, there was a surge in orders of kits and supplies as many people began to look for new hobbies to do at home. Embroidery has always been a great tool for improving mental health, but is particularly helpful in these difficult times. With this increased demand, Alice decided to launch an Embroidery Subscription service.

“Members receive access to exclusive content, and embroidery supplies or kits shipped to their door each month to help keep the creative juices flowing. There are also a number of free resources on my website including beginner tutorials and a Random Stitch Generator.  I am currently busy preparing for Christmas which is set to look very different this year without the usual Craft Markets to attend. While exploring the possibility of virtual markets, I am taking orders for personalised pieces. From embroidered decorations to portraits of houses – no job is too big or too small – and I am also hoping to launch a new range of products including an Embroiderer’s Gift Box in time for the holiday season.”

You can learn more about Alice and her work at www.bealice.ie or on Instagram @be_alice_

If you are interested in finding out more about the Degree in Hand Embroidery, reserve your place in our next Online Degree Open Day at 6pm on Thursday 10 December.