Friday Feature Artist

Latest Episodes:

Making through the mess with Cas Holmes and Clarissa Callesen May 16, 2025

Show notes

In this tender and courageous conversation, textile artist Cas Holmes and fibre sculptor Clarissa Callesen explore how creativity becomes a lifeline in times of uncertainty. From caregiving to mental health, and found materials to found meaning, they speak honestly about making as an act of survival, resilience and quiet activism.

Visit our website to view Cas & Clarissa’s work, explore our courses, or dive into more articles and interviews.

Radical comfort with Luke Haynes May 09, 2025

Show notes

Architect-turned-quilter Luke Haynes creates quilts that comfort, challenge and connect. From monumental public installations to intimate affirmations and photo-based portraiture, his textile practice pushes the boundaries of what quilts can be. In this conversation, Luke speaks candidly about scale, intention, and the deeply personal reasons quilts became both his medium and message.

Visit our website to view Luke's work, explore our courses, or dive into more articles and interviews.

Creative healing with Karen Olson May 02, 2025

Show notes

As we celebrate the launch of Karen's first course with us, photographer, papermaker, and forest therapy guide Karen Olson returns to share how sensory experience, forest immersion, and intuitive making can unlock deep healing. Exploring the connection between art, nature, and the nervous system, Karen invites us to reimagine creativity as a practice of restoration, one rooted in rhythm, relationship, and the quiet intelligence of the heart.

Visit our website to view Karen's work, explore our courses, or dive into more articles and interviews.

From the archives: Transforming trauma with Theda Sandiford Apr 24, 2025

Show notes

From fibre to found object, Theda Sandiford weaves stories of resilience, identity and social justice into tactile installations that invite healing and dialogue. Rooted in her lived experiences and community engagement, her work transforms everyday materials into catalysts for change – from zip tie blankets to emotional baggage carts. This episode explores art as both a personal sanctuary and a platform for collective truth-telling.

Visit our website to view Theda’s work, explore our courses, or dive into more articles and interviews.

From the archives: A life in colour with Carlotta Parisi Apr 17, 2025

Show notes

Italian artist Carlotta Parisi brings poetry to life through handmade pigments, delicate paper sculpture and soulful stitch. From a vibrant career in illustration to a deep reckoning with grief, her work now emerges from the earth itself - textured, tender, and rooted in the land she loves. This episode honours creative renewal, ancestral wisdom, and the quiet power of transformation.

Visit our website to view Carlotta’s work, explore our courses, or dive into more articles and interviews.

From the archives: Colour alchemy with Jason Logan Apr 11, 2025

Show notes

Jason Logan’s process for turning foraged materials into natural ink is one that’s as poetic as it is scientific. In this conversation, Jason explores the alchemy of colour, the power of observation, and the joy of creative experimentation. From black walnuts to ochre, he reveals how every pigment carries a story - and how anyone, anywhere, can become an ink maker.

Visit our website to view Jason’s work, explore our courses, or dive into more articles and interviews.

From the archives: Antidotes to fast fashion with Claire Wellesley-Smith Apr 04, 2025

Show notes

Claire Wellesley-Smith isn't just an artist; she's a weaver of communities. Her long-term, community-based projects are deeply rooted in the rich textile history of her surroundings, with a special focus on wool and cotton. We'll explore her acclaimed books, 'Slow Stitch' and 'Resilient Stitch,' and discover how her work champions sustainability, mental health, and local heritage. Get ready to hear about Claire's daily stitching practice, the challenges of fast fashion, and the therapeutic power of textiles that connect us to history, environment, and each other. This is an episode you won't want to miss!

Click here to explore our courses, or dive into more articles and interviews.

Stitching every day with Amanda Nadig Mar 28, 2025

Show notes

Think quilting is all about perfection and precision? Think again. In this episode, we meet Amanda Nadig, a Chicago-based artist, whose quilts are stitched from stories hiding in secondhand fabric. Inspired by parenting and teaching high school art, Amanda has developed a textile practice as life happens around her. If you’ve ever felt pulled toward fabric, or want permission to find flow in the fabric of everyday life, this conversation is for you. And just a warning - if you’re not already a quilter, watch out - we may well tempt you!

Take a look at some of Amanda's work on our website, explore our courses, or dive into more articles and interviews.

The secret life of fabric with Hannah Gartside Mar 21, 2025

Show notes

What happens to the dresses we once danced in, the gloves that warmed us during cold winters, and the fabrics that held our stories? In sculptor and installation artist Hannah Gartside’s hands, these fabrics don’t fade – they’re reborn. A former costume designer turned textile sculptor, Hannah reshapes worn and discarded fabrics into sculptures that dance with movement and emotion. For anyone drawn to the poetry of textiles, the energy of movement, and the way materials can hold both past and possibility, this episode’s for you.

Visit our website to view Hannah’s work, explore our courses, or dive into more articles and interviews.

Making the repurposed remarkable with Swapna Namboodiri Mar 14, 2025

Show notes

Can art save the planet? This week, we catch up with Swapna Namboodiri to hear how she repurposes everyday waste into striking, sustainable artworks. With an eye for the overlooked, Swapna challenges us to see beauty and potential in what’s been cast aside. If you’ve ever wondered how creativity can inspire change, this episode is for you.

Visit our website to view Swapna’s work, explore our courses, or dive into more articles and interviews.