news

from the editor

■ Welcome. As winter trudges back into our

embroidery loves . . .

the art (and joy) of nostalgia

making the grade

Meet two of the eight graduates selected by the Embroiderers’ Guild in the summer of 2022 as ‘ones to watch.’The graduates received a grant and free exhibition space at the Knitting and Stitching Shows

animal magic

Ella Kear vell graduated in June 2022 but already she is embarking on a career making art dolls, and is grappling with all that is involved in being an ar tist-maker with a small business

the weird the wonderful & the well-heeled

A WHISTLESTOP TOUR OF GALLERY HIGHLIGHTS IN 2023

A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN

Textile artist Liz Cooksey is a perfect embodiment

sculptures in thread

PIPPA HAYNES OF LEMON PEPPER STUDIO OFFERS A STUNNING RANGE OF ARTWORKS AND KITS, TAKING INSPIRATION FROM THE NATURAL WORLD THAT IS ON HER DOORSTEP IN A RURAL VILLAGE CLOSE TO SALISBURY

It’s enough to make you blush

TEXTILE ARTIST VICTORIA MCINTOSH HAS FOUND A PURPOSE FOR BRIDGET JONES’S BIG KNICKERS, RELISHING IN THE DISCOMFORT HER FLESHY ARTWORKS MAY EVOKE. BUT SHE IS AN ARTIST WITH A CAUSE

conscientious OBJECTOR

Robin McCarthy, who addresses some of the biggest issues of the day through her art, such as racism, gun-crime and the environment, says selling her works is not the be-all and end-all: she makes because she must

OF LIFE AND DEATH

Kate Tume, 42, lost her beloved husband Nicky to cancer in 2021. It marked a dramatic departure in her work as she began creating vibrant embellished death masks

BRIGHT IDEAS

Elizabeth Ashdown is not only keeping the ancient art of passementerie alive but making it relevant to modern-day life

ANNE KELLY REFLECTIONS ON THE ART OF NECESSITY

The Japanese use the term boro for art born out of hardship. Here, Anne Kelly reflects on the art of necessity brought by lockdown and how that made us recycle and reuse

random acts of kindness

Sally Spinks didn’t let her initial lack of higher education hold her back, and after a Master of Fine Arts was ready to take the textile art world by storm, both with her Random Acts of Kindness and a passion for the ubiquitous tattoo

COLOSSAL CROSS STITCH

With bubbly dark tresses and a slender figure, Raquel Rodrigo doesn’t look the sort of artist to be wrestling with wire grids and thick lengths of cord, but appearances can be deceptive. Cross-stitch has been described as ‘the gateway to embroidery’ because it’s a simple stitch you learn early on before progressing to other more demanding stitches. But this young woman has made it her own and she is intent on bringing ‘colossal crossstitch’ (at least that’s what we’re calling it) to the world stage. It can’t help but raise a smile when you see angular building facades smothered in cross-stitched roses or lemon trees

reading list

The letters of Rosemary and Bernadette Mayer, 1976-1980

out and about

COURSES AND EVENTS COMING UP

ON THE SIDE OF THE ANGELS

Masterpiece Tobias and the Angel has evoked some interesting responses from artists participating in Oriel Davies Gallery’s exhibition

in high spirits

Woo Jin Joo, an award-winning textile ar tist who has only recently left the Royal College of Art, is exhibiting work that revolves around a par ticular kind of animism, that of the Korean ‘Dokkaebi’ – or goblin

THE PATCHWORK OF THE CENTURY

A trip to London’s Southbank Centre proved serendipitous for June Hill when she came across a huge patchwork. With her interest piqued, she turned detective to discover the story of the makers, and one in par ticular, behind the ar twork

our ‘label culture’ is leading us by the nose

What’s in a name? Or, rather, what’s in a label? For fine artist Joy Pitts, quite a lot.

The Singh Twins: Slaves of Fashion

Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery and East Gallery, Norwich University of the Arts (NUA) October 2022 - 22 January 2023

Magdalena Abakanowicz Every Tangle Of Thread And Rope

Tate Modern, London 17 November 2022 – 21 May 2023

what’s on

On show

Climate crisis: cans we can’t kick down the road...

Bonnie Peterson’s work has an urgency about it:

Staying in is the new going out

The idea of embroidering with crochet-weight knitting wool

New project Comfor t aims to boost self-esteem

Breasts have long been a source of fascination

THE ART OF WAR

Anastasiia Podervianska describes how hard life is in Kyiv, Ukraine, but says she is determined to force herself to keep creating art