Hillary Waters Fayle

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Art Craft

Vibrant Embroideries by Hillary Waters Fayle Enhance the Natural Beauty of Preserved Leaves

Favoring thread and found materials, Richmond-based artist Hillary Waters Fayle (previously) works at the intersection of textile traditions and botany. “Stitching, like horticulture, can be functional,” she says, “a technical solution to join materials/a means of survival. Or, both can be done purely in service of the soul, lifting the spirit through beauty and wonder.”

Fayle’s practice embodies this sentiment with elaborate and colorful embroideries applied to dried leaves. Lined with brown edges, the perfectly preserved surfaces become more fragile as they age, and the threaded embellishments enhance the relationship between the natural and fabricated. “There is a sense of magic in being able to work with such an unexpected and exquisite material,” the artist says. “The tension in the thread, the type of stitching, the needle, the species, and the season are just some of the factors that may influence what happens.” Recent pieces include ornate networks in blue on ginkgo, floral motifs on eucalyptus, and red dots on golden leaves.

This summer, Fayle’s works will be on view at Quirk Gallery in Charlottesville, Virginia, and this fall at Asheville’s Momentum Gallery. Until then, explore more of her stitched works, in addition to leafy cutouts and large-scale murals, on Instagram.

 

Art Craft

Vibrant Botanic Embroideries Embellish the Dried Leaf Sculptures of Hillary Waters Fayle

Merging traditional craft techniques and the natural world’s abundant materials, Hillary Waters Fayle (previously) meticulously stitches brightly hued florals into found camellia leaves and other foliage. From simple lines and ribbing to fully rendered botanics, the thread-based embellishments interrupt the fragile matter. The resulting sculptures evidence nature’s durability while juxtaposing the organic material with the fabricated additions.

In the interview below, Waters Fayle describes how she gathers leaves and seed pods from areas around her home in Richmond, Virginia, and notes that her practice is rooted in sustainability. By using materials that are already available, like thread from her grandmother, the artist strives for zero-waste in her practice. Overall, her intention is to “bind nature and human touch,” magnifying how the two interact.

Head to Instagram to view a larger collection of her embroidered works. You also might enjoy Susanna Bauer’s crocheted leaves.

 

Art Craft

Carved and Embroidered Leaves by Hillary Fayle

Artist Hillary Fayle (previously here and here) slices and stitches patterns into found leaves, producing elegant designs that strike a delicate balance between natural specimens and the human hand. The works range from minimal tweaks to individual leaves to more involved patterns that link several in one embroidery. Fayle hopes each piece is an encouragement to look at nature a little closer and consider the potential for harmony in objects often overlooked.

“I want to salvage and revive our connection to the natural world,” explains Fayle in an artist statement on her website.  “…Both tender and ruthless, this intricate and sensitive work implies that our relationship to nature is both tenuously fragile and infinitely complex.”

You can see more of Fayle’s leaf embroidery, as well as some new experiments with snake scales, on her Instagram and website.

Art Craft

New Embroidered Leaves by Hillary Fayle

Artist Hillary Fayle (previously) continues her exploration of embroidered plantlife using elegent stitching to create amalgams of leaves and seeds. Ginkgo leaves and maple tree seeds are sutured into tight geometric forms, while other pieces play with negative space as Fayle deftly cuts patterns and shapes directly into them. The plants are coated in a non-toxic preservative to both protect the artwork and ensure the brittle materials are more resistant to tearing. Seen here is a collection of Fayle’s work from the last year or so, but you can explore more on her website and on Instagram.