MEREDITH WOOLNOUGH
Music by Gabriel Fauré - interpreted by Lydia J. Roth - Fantaisie, Op. 79 - Allegro via Musopen.
MEREDITH WOOLNOUGH
ARTIST
Newcastle, Australia
The first time I saw Meredith’s work was in a textile magazine when I lived in Paris. At the time, I managed the leading web hub for Francophile textile artists. I edited an online textile magazine delivered every week in 235K mailboxes. I had a lot of pressure (mostly self-inflicted) to present interesting artists and beautiful imagery to keep my audience growing but more importantly to keep myself interested and willing to keep working 15h a day with two small children. Read More
Photos and film captures from that day…
When I saw the sea inspired embroidery by an Australian contemporary artist, it caught my attention and made me dream about Australian seas and an unreachable nature and lifestyle. I wrote a piece about her art which many French readers commented excitedly on. Little did I know that many years later I would live in Sydney and would drive to Newcastle to film her, unveiling the mysterious woman behind the work: an insanely good looking red head!
Meredith is a contemporary artist who uses embroidery as a medium. She blends very fine threads of many different shades as you would blend different paints on a palette, using a sewing machine. The needle pricks a water soluble sheet on which Meredith has drawn her design. Very slowly she accumulates threads to get a thick or fine line. And to the observer’s incredulous eye leaves of a ginkgo biloba take shape.
The drawers of an old industrial metal cabinet slide open and piles of delicate herbarium sheets unveil their world of flattened natural history. My mother has kept the one she made as a child and bought me the press for my birthday when I was in primary school. Seeing Meredith’s collection made me emotional.
Newcastle is Australia’s capital of natural history. This is where Meredith studied it and learned how to draw and document nature in her sketchbook. Her work draws attention to the beauty and fragility of nature. It’s a political act.
I asked her to be part of my 30 people who make the world more beautiful. She accepted and replied beautifully to my questions.
Connect with Meredith
INTERVIEW
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My name is pretty boring really. I’m named Meredith simply because my parents liked the name. Woolnough is an old English name, apparently it means ‘daring wolf’, or ‘house of the wolf’. Something Wolf related anyway.
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I was born in Sydney, Australia and now live in the beautiful coastal town of Newcastle (about 2 hours north of Sydney).
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English only.
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I’m an artist who creates embroidery art for nature lovers.
My artworks are made using a unique embroidery technique known as freehand machine embroidery. This technique essentially allows you to draw with your sewing machine and it is a lot of fun. I stitch onto a water soluble base fabric that is washed away once the design is complete leaving only the stitched drawing behind. The remaining embroidery is often shaped and moulded to give it a more three dimensional form. My Sculptural Embroideries are an exploration of art, science and nature.
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Yes, I did. As a child I loved art and creating things with my hands, I was always drawing, painting or making things from clay. I dreamed of one day being an artist and now feel incredibly lucky that I get to live that dream and create art and build my business every day.
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I left my reliable, full time teaching job at a secondary high school and moved to a new city to be with the man I loved and also pursue my art career. Thankfully both gambles have paid off well.
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Drawing (with either a pencil or sewing machine). I can loose myself is a sketch for many blissful hours.
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I don’t think it was one big break, but more a series of smaller events or realisations that helped to get the ball rolling and gave me the confidence to keep it rolling.
The first time I sold an artwork to a stranger made me realise I was making art that didn’t suck.
The first time my work was shared by someone on social media I realised that others were interested in seeing my work and learning more about it.
The first time I was asked to write an interview for a magazine I realised that others are interested in my story as an artist.
The first time I taught a workshop I experienced the joy of sharing my techniques and knowledge with others.
The first time my work was purchased for a gallery collection I realised that my work was worth collecting not just to decorate a home but to contribute to the larger voice of artists in this country.
All of these ‘first’ events happened in the first few years of practicing seriously as an artist and each had a ripple effect that I’m still feeling the results of today. It’s all the little things that add up. That and lots of hard consistent work.
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I don’t think it was one big break, but more a series of smaller events or realisations that helped to get the ball rolling and gave me the confidence to keep it rolling.
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Getting over my own self limiting beliefs that I can’t make a viable living as an artist. The myth of the struggling artist is something that I carried for years when I first started and in many ways it held me back from growing. Developing a healthy mindset in regards to my worth and the worth of my work has been a hugely important and positive thing to help overcome those limiting beliefs.
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Coral. I love that group of animals (as you will clearly see in my work) and I also love the way that word sounds. Seriously, say it out loud. It’s a very underrated word I think. It just rolls of the tongue.
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Integrity, Kindness & Honesty.
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Natural curiosities and embroidery scissors
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My sketchbook. It’s a treasure that I have worked on for years, recording my favourite nature finds and artworks designs. I have put so much love into its pages.
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Sticky date pudding (with extra butterscotch sauce)
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Fourth Wing (I'm a sucker for an adventure story with dragons)
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The lost flowers of Alice Hart (it made my cry during every episode but it was so beautiful at the same time)
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The Barbie movie
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Where I live now - but with a coral reef directly out from the beach. I can add that right?
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My upcoming year is surprisingly quiet (for now anyway - I feel like I say that every year and then things always get super busy). But, I have another book project in the works (which is fun and exciting) as well as some fun commissions and ideas for new collections. I think 2024 will be a great year!
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