Jae Maries’ current work revolves around developing ideas that spring from her day to day experience. Her sketch books provide the inspiration for future work. She then develops these initial ideas by producing paper collages which help to simplify and abstract from the original thoughts and bridge the gap between drawing and working in fabric.
She is flexible about the medium to be explored and particularly enjoys the challenge of combining textured stitches surfaces with painted fabric areas. She will often allow the work to move away from the original concept as the piece begins to take on a life of its own. Her work is often on a fairly large scale and her main aim is to make a visual impact with the pieces either by using strong design based on the diagonal and/or a strong tonal contrast with vibrant colour notes.
Jae gained an Honours Degree, Fine Art from Reading University and later a Diploma in Creative Embroidery (Distinction) from Brighton University. She became a freelance tutor and lecturer in textile design and has enjoyed many years of teaching individual workshops and lectures to embroidery and textile groups. She ran residential courses at West Dean College in Experimental Stitched Textiles and became a tutor for BA(Hons) Embroidered Textiles Degree, Opus School of Textile Arts (Mddx. University). She also tutored many residential workshops in Australia, New Zealand, USA and Japan.
Besides her teaching, she was invited to become ‘Artist in Residence’ in several schools and colleges in the UK and has major works in private and public collections including the BBC S.E.Art Collection, Braintree Museum and Art Gallery and Beauchamps College, Leicester.
She, with her artist colleague Wendy Dolan, was commissioned by Ashridge Management College, Hertfordshire to produce a large wall hung textile (3.5m / 8m.) for the Millennium. This commission, which hangs in their Gothic Revival Entrance Hall, received an award from Dacorum Borough Council & County in 2000.
Other commissions include a textile panel for Urchfont Manor College, Wilts. for their 50th. Anniversary. Jae was a tutor at the college and she and the students completed it in 2008. Another commission for Red Oaks Primary School, Swindon, Wilts involving most of the pupils, hangs in their main hall and was completed in 2007.
Her publications are many and various including seven commissioned articles for Embroidery Magazine and her work has featured in many books. In 2009 her own book ‘Contrasting Elements’ was published.
She was elected to become Chair of the 62 Group of Textile Artists from 2009 – 2013
