Judy Tomlin | Treasured Textiles: Artistic Reuse of Thrifted and Gifted Fabrics
Judy Tomlin
Treasured Textiles: Artistic Reuse of Thrifted and Gifted Fabrics
FOCUS GALLERY
April 5 - 27, 2024
Opening Reception: April 5, 5-7pm
A lifelong maker, my textile skills are varied, and have been developed and refined over decades. Currently, largely due to impacts of the fast-fashion industry, thrift stores and landfills are overflowing with cast-off clothing and fabrics: denim, wool, prints, and linens, in a variety of colours, weights and textures. While this abundance results in endless supplies for my creative habits, I find myself frustrated by the damage to our world resulting from our over-consumption of fashion. By re-using these discarded textiles and extending their usefulness, I am reducing the volume of fabrics going to landfills, thereby curbing the resulting damage to the natural world. It is my hope that this exhibition might increase awareness of this issue while demonstrating and inspiring creative solutions to the problem.
While the variety of fabrics available and my desire to re-use them influences my artwork, my actual inspiration comes from the natural world around me. I love spending time outdoors in my garden, on neighbourhood trails, and in the vast Yukon wilderness. The changing light and seasons, the details of a tiny plant or the grandeur of a vast range of mountains are represented in my work, sometime in semi-realistic landscapes or flowers, and other times in more abstract or whimsical forms. The series of work included in this exhibition combines repurposed textiles with textures, patterns and landscapes found in nature.
The creation of each piece is a slow, thoughtful process, incorporating various techniques, for example, applique, quilting, free-motion machine stitching, hand embroidery and/or needle felting. While preparing for the show, I explored many fabric and thread options in order to find the ones that best suited the work. The resulting artworks include detailed textures with diverse fabrics and threads.
I feel an incredible sense of satisfaction when one of my creations is entirely made out of re-purposed or scrap materials or when I am able to utilize all parts of a re-purposed item.
I am hopeful that by seeing my creations and gaining insight into how I re-purpose textiles, visitors to the exhibition will be inspired to reduce their fashion consumption and to think of new possibilities to renew or re-purpose used clothing while at the same time appreciating the beauty and intricacies of our natural world.
JUDY TOMLIN
The Yukon has been my home since I moved, as a teenager with my family, to Haines Junction in 1975. I have lived in Whitehorse now for many years and travel regularly with my husband to explore more remote areas of our spectacular territory, camping, hiking, and kayaking in many parts of the Yukon. I also spend time regularly discovering the fine details found in our back yard garden and while walking or cross-country skiing the many trails close to Whitehorse. Taking time to enjoy the stillness and beauty around me stimulates my creativity and informs my artistic endeavors.
Art and creativity have always been part of my life, with skills being learned from family members, books, numerous workshops and many years of practice. My long-term artistic and creative practice has primarily involved fibres and textiles, ranging from embroidery, to felting, quilting and macrame, often using thrifted, vintage and found items. In recent years I have also developed an interest in sketching and watercolour painting. I attempt to capture the joy of my experiences combined with the interest of the seemingly ordinary in my work.
Past Exhibitions
