Jo Budd trained in fine art at Newcastle University, graduating in 1979, before working exclusively with textiles in the early 1980s. She creates large-scale textile pieces; hand -stitching, -dying and -distressing the fabric. Her technique have developed out of her fine art training and her interest in the rich art of quilt making. Her innovating techniques include mono-print, hand application of dyes and mark-making, experimental screen printing, and various resist-techniques and rust-dyeing from metal plate and found objects.

In this piece, Budd has hand-stitched and -dyed both new and reclaimed materials. Firmly rooted in both her domestic and local environment, 'Winter/Male' responds to the colours of the seasons. Its tall, vertical format relates to the geometric structures that the artist aligns with a masculine aesthetic. Taking around six months to complete, it charts through cloth the enormous time scale involved in the act of making. The rich, green heart of 'Winter/Male' links to the water meadow that surrounds the artist's studio. Budd manipulates the stitch below the surface to add texture and dimension to the hanging. Occasionally the stitch appears on the surface, or is used to create a ripple effect. Budd describes this technique as a kind of 'Braille', 'inviting the eye, if not the hand, to touch'.