Penarth textile artist's work is highly commended in Welsh Artist of the Year competition (From Penarth Times)

Penarth textile artist's work is highly commended in Welsh Artist of the Year competition

12:10pm Wednesday 8th August 2012 in News

PENARTH textile artist Becky Adams has been highly commended in the Welsh Artist of the Year competition, for a hand-stitched, old-fashioned sewing box.

Becky, who lives in St Augustine's Road, creates her art by visiting flea markets and antique fairs and collecting pieces of sewing and craft items and vintage fabrics which she then incorporates into her work.

"A lot of my work is based around binding books, and I like the idea of a narrative thread," said Becky, whose entry The Sentimental Museum was an antique sewing box filled with a hand-stitched embroidery ring and old letters.

And the work beat more than 400 entries to be highly commended in the annual competition to find the best contemporary artists born and practising in Wales.

Becky was presented with her award by broadcaster Nicola Heywood-Thomas at the awards ceremony at St David's Hall, Cardiff, on Sunday, July 1.

It's the second time Becky has seen success in the competition. Last year her entry Radio Times, a hand-stitched fabric radio, was voted People's Choice by visitors to the exhibition.

"It's lovely to be highly commended, particularly as my entry is so small," she added.

"Sometimes things that are small don't get noticed, so I am delighted that the judges not only took notice but thought it was worthy of being highly commended. Small is the new big!"

The judging panel this year included Curator Ruth Cayford; Jacqueline Poncelet, winner of the Drawing Prize at Welsh Artist of the Year 2011; renowned artists Carwyn Evans and Peter Finnemore; and Karen MacKinnon, curator of the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea.