Tamara Russell

Tamara Russell is a textile artist specialising in free machine embroidery, hand stitching and mending. My practice engages with the natural environment recreating the images and shapes in my embroidered works in both 2 and 3D form. My photos are the starting point as I explore my subject matter directly onto fabric, painting with thread. In my work I am able to portray my concerns around social issues including the environment, climate change and the treatment of asylum seekers in Australia. I find textiles to be a perfect medium for expressing my thoughts using both hand and machine stitching. My work has been exhibited in the United Kingdom and Australia.

The joy of working with found materials is the unexpected uses that can be found for them. I love this unpredictability and enjoy the inventiveness necessary to transform them. The materials not only highlight a need to address the amount of waste we produce, but also contributes to the story.   I try to always use materials that are reclaimed, things with a history that have been discarded and might otherwise end up in landfill.