Textile Art by Naomi Renouf

To contact me

Acrylic and Textile Commissions

Working from a small studio at my home in Jersey, Channel Islands, I use a variety of materials and techniques to create unique hangings and textile pictures. I produce both small and large scale pieces which range from representational to abstract.

I studied Art, specialising in painting, as part of a B.Ed degree from London University and this painting background has had a big influence on the way I approach my textiles work. Over the years I have worked with a variety of media but have always loved the tactile qualities of working with textiles, sometimes using them alone but at other times combining them with other media including acrylic paint.

In 2002 I started making my own paper and for a number of years I was mostly using this, painting it with acrylic and then applying textiles and other media. Although I still sometimes work on paper, I now usually work with textiles or a combination of acrylic and textiles.

I often use a technique which involves layering small pieces of fabric with organza on a calico or canvas background and machine stitching into the layers. I also use techniques such as appliqué and burning or cutting back through the surface to expose the layers beneath. Whilst all of my work is free machine embroidered, I do also include hand embroidery in some pieces.

Several years ago I developed a technique which enables me to produce work which looks similar to the hand-made paper pieces but on a much larger scale. I have since used this technique for some of my large scale corporate and private commissions. The background is made of fabric instead of paper. This is painted in the same way as the hand-made paper and then fabric and other media, including beads and found objects are applied using machine and hand embroidery.

My seascapes and landscapes reflect my love for the natural environment. In particular the coastline of Jersey has been a continuing source of inspiration for my textiles. Wherever I go I find interest and beauty in the ever changing visual environment. The light, the time of year, the time of day and the weather all create their individual impression on the landscape and I find constant inspiration in these changes. I look at my surroundings letting ideas develop in my head. In my mind the colours intensify and the shapes become more abstract as I recreate my experiences of these moments in time. Through my textiles I want others to see the joy I have found in observing the world around me.

My family now all live in Canada and, as a result, I will be spending more time there in future. I am starting to explore the country, and my relationship with it, through my artwork. I am planning to build up a series of textiles based on my observations of the Canadian landscape. I will be working on these textiles, alongside my other textiles, in my studio using photos I have taken, sketches, memories and feelings of my experiences.

I sometimes sketch and often take photographs as a reference. Once I get started on a piece it progresses partly from my observations and feelings about a place and partly from the random things that happen as part of the process. The mixture of the random and the controlled elements mean that there is always a problem-solving aspect to producing a finished piece, which I find interesting. I like the spontaneity of working in this way as there is rarely a totally predictable outcome.

My work has been exhibited in New York, Sweden, Malta and South Africa as well as the UK and Jersey and has also been included in a number of publications. A selection of my works are always available at the Harbour Gallery, St. Helier, Jersey. Please contact me in order to enquire about other available works or to discuss commissions..

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