Tanya Wood grew up in Portsmouth and studied at Portsmouth College of Art and Design. In 1991 she moved to Jersey and began ‘Patch & Doodle’ a business, designing and handcrafting greeting cards, paintings and embroideries for island retail outlets. Her work also featured in many successful exhibitions, chiefly those held at Sion Gallery, St Johns, Jersey. In 1996 Tanya and her family moved to the Isle of Man where she continued her work and returned to study. She gained City and Guilds Embroidery and Design Part One through Distance Learning whilst obtaining City and Guilds Adult and Further Education Teaching Certificates 1 & 2, at the Isle of Man College. She became a part time lecturer in embroidery and design subjects at the college. Tanya was invited to become a ‘Courtyard Artist’ and contributed regularly to exhibitions at the prestigious Courtyard Gallery, Tynwald, Isle of Man. During 1998 and 1999 Tanya took an active part in the Embroiderers Guild 2000 project committee; designing Manannan’s Cloak for the Guild. The Cloak is now on permanent display at the Isle of Man Museum. Other successful exhibitions included Singer & Frielander, Isle of Man Museum and Celtic Link, Galloway, Scotland. Tanya returned to Hampshire in the summer of 2001. In 2002 she took part in PAINT (Petersfield Artists IN the Town) exhibiting at the Flora Twort Gallery. City and Guilds Embroidery Part Two was gained at Fareham College in 2003 with the added delight of receiving a “highly commended award” in the City and Guilds National Medal for Excellence in 2004. Also in 2004 she won “Best Designer” in the Creative Arts Awards at Fareham College. In 2005 and 2006 Tanya took part in Hampshire Artists Open Studios. The Embroiderers Guild celebrated its centenary iin 2006.Tanya's work featured in the travelling exhibition 'Something Old, Something New' which concluded at Portsmouth Museum as part of the celebrations. Flowers are a favourite subject of Tanya’s textiles. The visual source is often combined with her research into the associations, symbolism and language of the flowers to enrich the finished work. She accepts this subject matter has been well covered by artists for generations but endeavours to explore new ways of approaching and expressing the theme. Tanya is passionate about art and design and thoroughly enjoys the boundless possibilities of textiles. Committed to exploring and promoting embroidery as an art form, and sharing her experiences and skills with others, Tanya feels privileged to derive so much pleasure from her work.