susie koren

connecting people & land through cloth

using materials that have not changed over thousands of years my work is a continuation of the interwoven stories connecting humans with the land through cloth creating a sense of place

about my work

colour, human marks that map the landscape, weather, the constantly moving horizon & changing light on northern windswept coasts provides endless inspiration for my abstract landscape textiles

My muted colour palette is created using a soya milk binder I developed specifically to paint ground earth pigments onto natural fibres in order that they remain tactile.

Quietly immersing myself in the process I translate the landscape onto cloth, slowly building up layers of blended pigments that leave crusty patches on the surface. Lines and symbols map a sense of place, a visual language drawn from my library of adapted hand stitch techniques; thread as gestural lines, stitch as expressive marks

field trips

With an itinerant childhood and enquiring mind observing maps, geography and geology informs my work. Field trips are an integral part of my research, experiencing first-hand the repetitive rhythms of nature through walking, gathering and recording, often returning to familiar places to witness the changing environment and weather patterns. Back in my studio sketchbook observations act as reminders of colour, atmosphere, texture that influences my mediative hand stitching, reconnecting my work to the landscape.