Anna Pritchard

I am a textile designer from North Wales. The inspiration comes from my environment, history and the farming industry. I graduated from Manchester University in 2007 after studying textiles specialising in weaving.

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My paintings are a starting point for the textile planning. The ports of Wales excite me because of the colours and bustle and they bring back memories of my childhood - going to pay the rent of our farm to the Penrhyn estate and going to buy fish for dinner with my Mum. Since winning the 'Young Marine Artist' award at The Mall Galleries in London I have exhibited in several galleries across Wales.

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I paint on large pieces of paper as it gives me the freedom to work freely and experiment with colours and texture. This is evident through my painting and textile designs. I often add stitches to my paintings to add texture.

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I design my blankets in the same process. By drawing and painting it enables me to imagine my patterns as textiles.

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My studio looks towards Eryri and that gives me inspiration from design to production. As a family we are one of the oldest families still operating in the world of agriculture in the Dyffryn Ogwen area. My materials have been inspired by farming traditions and document the history of those traditions.

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The patterns you see on the textiles are records of the earmarks of Dyffryn Ogwen Farms. The goal is a unique cut for each individual farm. Only farms that have the right to graze on the mountain have a tag. The ear tags enable the farmers to identify their sheep when they gather and sort their stock from the mountain pasture.

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Recently I have just launched new textiles which are inspired by graphics on old milk bottles. My Grandfather had a milk round around Bethesda so I set about researching and using graphics from old glass bottles that the local farmer had. I grew up on a dairy farm near Bangor so the connection is extremely important to me as a textile designer. 

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My work reflects and tells a story.