A Creative Art Form

Meredith Woolnough combines bold colours and delicate patterns to portray marine life in her striking artwork.

For those of us who don’t venture into diving, Woolnough’s vividly-coloured embroidery sculptures in the shape of corals and ammonites are a reminder of the marvels of the sea.

Woolnough is originally from Sydney but has been living in Newcastle for the years. A graduate in Fine Arts, which gave her “time to focus exclusively on her art during three solid years”, Meredith is a full-time artist, having left behind her job teaching art to high school students.

“I was a high school teacher for several years,” she says. “Bits of it I loved and bits I loathed. I was always a practising artist on the side. It’s been a gradual process and there’s been a steep learning curve to make it a full-time job.”

In Newcastle, Woolnough has a studio at Newcastle Community Arts Centre (NCAC.). She highlights the importance of having affordable studio space in an environment where she is surrounded by fellow artist, which she describes as invaluable. “Newcastle is a good environment for the arts,” she adds.

Woolnough’s sculptures are made of intricate embroidery which provides them with an exquisite texture. Her technique is unique…

Read more in Edition 75 of Hunter & Coastal Lifestyle Magazine.

Story: Elena Terol Sabino.