LARGE GALLERY

October 11 – November 9, 2024

Nurturing Growth
Nell Burns

Reception + Artist Talk: Friday, October 11th at 5PM

Nurturing Growth is pod and cocoon inspired artwork that celebrates the intricate and fascinating structures that nature creates to protect and nourish life within them. From the hard shells of seed pods, acorns, and pine cones to the soft and silky cocoons of insects, these structures are not only functional, but also beautiful and inspirational.

“I essentially draw and paint with thread, using the needle as my pencil, and the fabric as my canvas. My artwork has always had sculptural elements, using fabrics and stabilizers to create 3D art. Currently I employ techniques to sculpt using only stitched thread. My process is unusual: embroidery traditionally is used to decorate and embellish a cloth with stitching. I use embroidery to make the cloth with stitching and I manipulate that into a decorative form. I’ve been developing techniques to create 3D seamless embroidery with just stitched thread, no fabric.”

She uses textile work across a variety of techniques, including embroidery, quilting, felting, and mixed media, to create unique forms, textures and colours inspired by nature and her environment, showcasing the diversity and complexity of pods and cocoons. She is driven to push the boundaries of embroidery and thrives on the challenge to create unique art that engages and excites her viewer. Nature, environment, people and cultures are inspirations Nell uses to create forms, textures and surfaces that engage and excite her viewer. Stimulated and inspired by artists like ceramicists and carvers who can create seamless sculptures, Nell thrives on the challenge to explore form, colour and composition to create 3-Dimensional forms with just stitched thread, her own seamless sculptures.

Nell has been designing, dressmaking and embroidering for as long as she can remember, getting her first sewing machine at the age of 7. Now a full time Textile Artist, Nell thrives on the challenge to create unique stitched thread art. Nell completed her HND and BA Hons in Fashion and Textile Design in the UK during this time she discovered her passion for machine embroidery. Nell’s explorations with free form machine embroidery are self-taught and in the Summer of 2005 she completed a City & Guilds Level 3 Machine Embroidery Course which allowed her to take her ‘explorations’ to a higher level. Shortly after completing her City and Guilds Nell moved from the UK to BC, Canada, where she became a full-time textile artist.