Who is Jenny Bowker?

Hello, my name is Jenny Bowker.

I have been working in Textiles since 1997- from the time I finished a Bachelor of Arts Degree (Visual) and decided to make just one quilt.

My background - life before quilts - was in science. I am moving towards a melding of my fine art work and my textile work.

I am interested in the way pattern comes into many parts of our lives and often include some geometrical piecing in my work as I think it keeps me technically on my toes and provides a key for traditional quilters to link to my work.

I have four children and a very supportive husband who worked as a diplomat for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. While following him I lived a total of fifteen years in Arab and Islamic countries. This might seem irrelevant to quilting, but has influenced my subject matter and much of my work reflects my love of the Middle East. I have lived in Syria, Western Samoa, Malaysia, Jordan, Jerusalem and Egypt.

I teach and really enjoy it. There is no greater delight than to offer tools to a quilter who wants to make original work but doesn't know how to access her own ideas.