“The act of hand weaving and dyeing cloth is extremely labour intensive – it can take months to make one piece,” says British artist Ptolemy Mann, who has been creating textile works of extraordinary colour and vibrancy for nearly 30 years. In 2021, after a period of experimenting with painting on paper, she turned her brush to her painstakingly dyed and handwoven cloths – the striking results can be seen in Mann’s first monograph, Thread Painting (published 9 May, Hurtwood Press), and a solo show at Cromwell Place, London (15-19 May). “There’s something radical about taking a precious handwoven cloth and applying a wet, loaded paint brush to its surface,” she says, noting that most traditional paintings are done on woven (albeit plain) canvases. “People are astounded that I am willing to take the risk. They love the madness of them.”