Untamed
'Untamed', is a celebration of artistic freedom inspired by the wild beauty of the natural world. We were thrilled to invite the students of Joyful Embroidery to unleash their imaginations and ask them to challenge the conventional notions of fibre art. The creatives who have submitted their works to the exhibition have brought their concepts to life through contemporary mark-making and the art of stitching while drawing inspiration from the theme 'Untamed'. It has taken incredible skill, perseverance and determination. Anyone who has participated in the creative process can appreciate what a roller coaster it can be; add to that, an art form that is very slow going, and it truly becomes a lesson in resilience. This is why the Joyful Embroidery Course strongly emphasises leaning into the parts of the process, materials and methods that truly bring joy to your creative practice.
You can feel the joy in these works, the wildness, the bravery. We have reclaimed the word 'Untamed' to mean free. A sense of freedom from the restraints of any rules or ideas that have inhibited our ability to express ourselves. Embroidery has moved into a new space where we can celebrate the traditional while pushing into new territory with fibre and mark-making that honours our creative souls. I feel so inspired by this exhibition and incredibly grateful to all of the beautiful creatives who have contributed their time and skill and have taken the courageous step of sharing their work here. To all of the participants of Joyful Embroidery, thank you for valuing your creativity and continuing to bring your unique skills and perspectives to our course; wherever you are on your creative journey, we hope you can see this exhibition as a collective celebration of the art form we all love so much.
With much gratitude,
Fleur Woods
