VirginiaCreates: Claire Wellesley-Smith

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Claire Wellesley-Smith: fiber and textile artist, slow movement enthusiast, teacher, author.

photo from claire wellesley-smith's blog

Today's feature is Claire Wellesley-Smith, a contemporary textile artist, living and working in England. I discovered Wellesley-Smith because I am reading her book,
Slow Stitch:

Mindful and Contemplative Textile Art,

photo from claire wellesley-smith's blog

a beautiful and inspiring book about slowing down and quality over quantity. A concept I know I desire in our current, high-octane, 24/7, fast paced, always-connected life. The idea of slowing down, turning off the electronics and tuning into the materials, the process and our surroundings seems like nirvana to me. And in fact, this may be why I have returned to my embroidery practice, as a response to the current state of our country and the world. I am aware of how my different 'work' cycles, either photography, sculpture, drawing, etc... and for the past few months I have been finding myself, nesting in the corner of my couch, with needle and embroidery floss and any scrap of fabric, paper, ribbon, 'life' that I can find and slowly sewing them together. I call this body of work, 'meditations ...'

So with my rekindled love of the stitch, I gravitated to Wellesley-Smith's book and then to her web site, blog and instagram account, all of which I have posted link to below.

fitzgerald, 'meditation #9 ...' (2017)

Besides her beautiful stitching, Wellesley-Smith talks about connecting textiles more to the earth and she discusses how she dyes her own textiles from plants that she grows in her studio garden. (see video below). She also features many other textile artists' work. The book is a treasure to slowly cherish, I only wish I either had more hands so I could read and sew ... or more hours in the day!! But no matter I plan to savor this book and I recommend that you do too.

my contribution I made this January for a call for art by
GatherHere in Cambridge, MA

The Slow Stitching Movement is an illuminating revolution within the stitching and fiber art industry, launched by international quilting personality Mark Lipinski. Modeled after the international Slow Food movement, The Slow Stitching Movement is open to all fiber and needle artists and will prepare you for a higher form of creativity and important work in the needle and fiber arts, be it quilting, knitting, crochet, tatting, embroidery, rug hooking, weaving, needlepoint, cross stitch, etc.

Following the tenets of The Slow Stitching Movement you will:
Approach your creative art-making in a totally different way.
Recharge your passion for the needle fiber arts .
Engage the connection between your body, your quilts, and your legacy. .
Expand your creativity, self-esteem and even your spiritual journey.
Tap your right brain, to train and develop your imagination.
Find the creative genius in you.
Implement your creative thought in today’s too-fast world.
Heal your life, emotions and boost your physical health.
Create groups and habits to support your creative vision.

If you’ve hit a creative wall, if you have more yarn, fabric, floss, threads, and notions than you do inspiration, if all of your projects are beginning to look alike, or if you’ve been creating in the needle arts for years and have nothing especially wonderful to show for it . . . The Slow Stitching Movement is for you.