Priscilla draws her inspiration from her personal and professional experiences; travel throughout Asia, Africa and the Americas is reflected in her work, as is the Tarot, Haiku poetry, and the significance of symbol, colour and number in different cultures.
Paper-making, stitching and calligraphy are central to her works. Not only does Priscilla have a vast collection of paper that she has acquired in her travels but she also makes her own paper.
The selection of the paper for each piece of artwork is carefully considered – the texture, weight, softness, crispness, flexibility, as well as colour, are all factors in the decision making.
When she makes her own paper, she prepares the paper pulp and makes a sheet of paper on the mould, painting the dye onto wet sheets of paper and building up the colour. She experiments with pieces – hand dyed paper plus the addition of Sashiko stitch (little stabs) and writing in inks.
Priscilla is fascinated by The Red Thread of Fate, a Japanese legend, originating from China: ‘An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break’. Her use of thread allows marking, a way of narrating, either as kintsugi - joining, repairing - or as calligraphy. The thread is carefully stitched, sometimes joining various pieces together, sometimes adding beautiful and unusual beads, adding an extra layer to the richness of the paper.
In some of her works, Priscilla tears the handmade paper and repairs it with gold leaf in the cracks and makes paper beads to secure the torn pieces together.
Writing is also an integral part of her mark making – handwritten and typographic as well as Asemic. "I have been fascinated by the act of writing for a long time and have developed my own form of wordless scripts in my work. I have recently discovered that this free writing has a name - Asemic”.
Priscilla explores different approaches to language, exploring the signs and symbols of communication, as well as our understanding and lack of understanding of language. Priscilla has created envelopes and letters from handmade papers which she posts to herself from around the world. In some, where in place of the addressee, is the source of her inspiration. Following her extensive travels in Japan, China and Korea, Priscilla has reinterpreted the postage stamps from these countries.
Some of the envelopes contain addressees, some contain poems or lyrics. Each one is sealed with wax and stamped. The letters have travelled in the post, through areas, cities and countries. The words and stories on them also allow the recipient to embark on an imaginary journey.
All her work reflects a deep interest in the inner forces that drive mankind – forces that are typically, much more revealing than the outer veneer that most humans use to shield themselves from the eyes of the world.