Artist Bio
Based in Co. Down, Gail Kelly is a textile artist who is inspired by the changing seasons and patterns of the countryside and gardens, as well as by her keen interest in folklore and traditions.
Gail prints her linocuts on Irish linen using a Victorian cast iron press, and she also designs and publishes greetings cards. Having studied printmaking at the University of Ulster and at Louisiana State University, Gail established her design business, Algan Arts, in 1995.
She makes hand stitched collages of her linocuts and woodcuts printed on linen. These are inspired by the countryside where she lives along with beautiful landscapes Ishe sees on her travels in Ireland and Britain. She prints each small piece of linen individually. The finished collages are unique, one off pieces.
The linen she uses has been handed down to me by the women in her family along with their sewing baskets, stashes of thread and silver thimbles.
Her home is an old farm with a large wild garden in County Down, Northern Ireland. She has always been interested in wildlife, plants and trees and these all feature in her work too.
