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susie koren - textile artist

@susiekoren

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connecting to land * earth pigment *muted palette * hand-stitch * cloth
»windswept coast » walking » global tide
*observational sketchbook workshops*

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Connecting to Land - Observational sketchbook practice (link in bio) for more information

DATES CONFIRMED weekend workshop @westdeancollege
WEST DEAN Workshop. 17-19 JULY 2026

NEW: Workshop dates at my Sussex studio on Ashdown Forest in summer 2026 - see link in bio

COLOURS OF NATURE - field trips to experience the elements and rhythms of nature first hand
gathering, observing, recording - Sketchbook observations are integral part of my practice - an invaluable studio resource

#westdean #landartcollective #earthmaterials #artsketchbooks #earthpigments by @susiekoren

ARTWORK & BIO

Initially studying interior design at the Chelsea School of art in the 1980s I undertook the C&G quilting diploma in 2000 and started my studio practice in 2005.

Working from my Sussex studio my textile artwork is exhibited internationally and the UK with work selected for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, Royal West of England Academy Bristol, London Discerning Eye, Royal Cambrian Wales, Sussex Contemporary Open amongst other contemporary open calls. My quilts have been selected for international art quilt exhibitions.
AWARDS INCLUDE: Royal Cambrian Academy (Wales) Selectors Prize and the Fine Art Textile Award. I was the Keynote Speaker for the SAQA 2024 Conference

WORKSHOP: TACTILE PAGES - VISUAL NOTEBOOK
West Dean College 2-4 June 2025 (link in bio)

EXHIBITIONS: MEANDER: Land & Water 1-16 March 2025
The Sussex Contemporary Newhaven Sussex (weekend 1&2 March, 7-9 March & 14&15 March)

Please DM or visit my website for more info.
& Sign up to my newsletter for studio updates exhibitions & workshops (links in bio)

A

Day 5 @landartcollective instagram takeover
Thank you @landartcollective for inviting me to share my studio practice this week - it’s great to be a member of such an inspirational community of creative practitioners

#earthmaterials #earthpigments #slowstitch #textileart #textileartist #landscapeartist #contemporaryfiberartist #contemporarystitch #sustainableartist #stitch #handstitch #landartcollective #sussexcontemporary #openstudio #artexhibitions #galleryexhibition #landartcollective #earthpigmentartworkaa by @susiekoren

Today we will going on the Pigment Road Trip to Cornwall to forage for pigments from the mineral rich soil

From the pop up studio in a shepherds hut on the Cornish Atlantic coast we will visit the various locations where I sourced pigments gathering a small zip lock bag from each location, that is plenty for my studio use. Warning that soil from old industrial sites can be contaminated and contain arsenic and mercury.

Yellow, red and purple iron oxide, a paintbox of coloured waste soil from the old 18th Century Tin Mines, discarded by the wealthy mine owners as they dug deep down out under the sea bed for the rich seams of tin and copper.

White China Clay from a St Austell quarry - for every kilo of clay extracted there are 6 kilos of waste. I found this clay in the waste material by the side of the quarry road

Green earth from the shale cliffs where the layers of geological strata are exposed by the waves

Black carboniferous pigment from 300 million year old tree ferns when we had a tropical climate found oozing out of a seam on a North Devon cliff

Red ochre in a quarry near Bristol that was used to paint bridges and ships to stop them rusting.

An overview of processing the pigments, making watercolours paints and the soya milk binder I developed to paint ground earth pigments natural fibres. See link in bio for more info.
painterliness of my work is further enhanced by my use of vintage linen and hemp - cloth that has an existing history and patina such as worn uneven areas, patching fraying holes seams that take up the pigment differently enriching the textural quality.

3 @landartcollective instagram takeover @susiekoren

Please DM or visit my website for more info.
& Sign up to my newsletter for studio updates exhibitions & workshops (links in bio)
#earthmaterials #earthpigments #foragingpigments #geology #rocks #bideford #redochre #tinmines #cornishtincoast #shepherdhut #popupstudios #pigments #naturalpigments #contemporaryfiberartist #contemporarystitch #contemporaryart #slowstitching #slowstitch by @susiekoren

Sandra Brownlee’s beautiful exhibition The Word Made Physical @thebluebuildinggallery in Halifax Nova Scotia. I know lots of my followers know Sandra from her teaching in the UK and I want to highlight and share some photos from her fabulous exhibition that’s on until 7 November.

I spent a wonderful afternoon quietly reading and absorbing the quotes and words of wisdom Sandra has collected over many decades and slowly and mindfully hand stitched, stamp printed and formed in wire that pairs her new works with earlier works that relates to the creative process and finding one’s voice.

Visiting her show was the perfect start to a fantastic 3 week trip to Nova Scotia and Ontario.

Opening times: Wednesday to Saturday 12.00-5pm until 7 November - visit @thebluebuildinggallery for more information

#sandrabrownlee by @susiekoren

Highlights of the incredible autumnal colours from my fabulous 3 week trip to Canada - I’ve fallen in love with farm buildings and the towering silos - very reminiscent of Edward Hopper and overnight train journeys- I travelled from Halifax Nova Scotia to the Trent Hills near Coburg Ontario - Way to travel in a comfy cosy berth and delicious food watching three golden landscape whiz by.
#autumnvibes🍁 #canadianautumn #autumalcolours #landartcollective #earthpigments by @susiekoren

Observational Sketchbook workshop - walking in evening light on Hirtles Beach gathering resources for mark making and experimental drawing using earth pigments - ink - gesso and stitch on paper and cloth. I really enjoyed sharing my studio practice with @christine_dillman @emmafitz_art @joannaclose @lahaveweavingstudio Norma Carey and Shelia Davis and seeing the wonderful inspirational results from the 3 days spent together. Thank you for such a warm welcome and to @lahavebakery for providing the lovely studio space, delicious coffee and food at your wonderful cafe and I so enjoyed browsing the bookshop by the wharf

#observationalsketch #earthmaterisls #artsketchbooks #textileartist #hirtlesbeach by @susiekoren

Hunting for fern and tree fossils - remains from the tall tropical tree forests and swamps at the UNESCO Joggins Cliffs on Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia Canada. The tides here are the highest in the world - at low tides miles of red sandstone mud - 6 hours later the sea is crashing against the cliffs eroding and exposing new fossils from the Carboniferous period - the period on earth before dinosaurs and Nova Scotia was centre of the super continent Pangea on the equator - fascinating location. First photo low tide - second photo an hour later - 2 hours later beach is underwater to the cliffs. The seawater is a muddy red from the sandstone rocks - the open Atlantic Ocean on the distant horizon - the cliffs rich in coal seams formed of sandstone, shale,mudstone and limestone

I love the marks formed by the fossilised tree bark and ferns.

. #jogginsfossilcliffs #fossilhunting #bayoffundy #earthmaterials #geology by @susiekoren

Observing nature, collecting flotsam, lying in the grasses, soaking up the wind and sun during our Observational Sketchbook Workshop with @susiekoren
#earthmaterials #novascotiaworkshop by @susiekoren

UNESCO Geopark Bay of Fundy Nova Scotia Canada where the world’s highest tides race in and out twice a day.

Spent low tide at Five Islands park sketching, painting cloth in the iron oxide red clay rock pools and walking below the spectacular ninety metre high cliffs - 225 million year old geological formations of sandstone and volcanic basalt and what a sunset to end the day.

Visiting friends in Canada and what a fabulous country lovely warm welcome from everyone I meet - stunning landscape and the autumnal colours are amazing - photos to follows. On a 3 day field trip.

#landartcollective #textileartist #earthpigments #earthmaterials #observationalsketchbook by @susiekoren

Packing my favourite pigments for Nova Scotia leaving Thursday - excited to be sharing my studio practice with local artists and makers - check out the 2.5 day Observational sketchbook workshop @lahaveweavingstudio Nova Scotia 8-10 October. Want to know more, come join us - there are a few spaces remaining. Sign up link in the bio

Here’s a glimpse of my field trip sketchbook from last year to Outer Hebrides showing colours studies made using natural pigments that I buy from Roussillon in the South of France. I was beyond excited to discover @terrachrom_pigments_paints the Canadian importer of the same beautiful earths pigments from the South of France that I buy - check out their inspirational Instagram account

All the artwork on my Instagram created over the past 12 years is made using earth pigments in the soya milk binder I developed and hand stitch

##lahaveweavingstudio #earthmatters #earthmaterials landartcollective by @susiekoren

Exploring texture - line - gesso - painting with earth pigments and hand stitch. Check out the Observational sketchbook workshop @lahaveweavingstudio Nova Scotia 8-10 October. Few spaces remaining. Sign up link in the bio.

This time next week I’ll be in Halifax Nova Scotia - so excited to be visiting friends, exploring the coastal landscape and working together with local artists and makers for 3 days - come join us at the Observational Sketchbook Workshop - take time out to slow down- connect to the land - be curious playful and discover the joys of using earth pigments on paper and cloth.

#lahaveweavingstudio #earthmaterials #observationalsketchbook #sketchbookworkshop #connecttonature by @susiekoren

📒 Observational Sketchbook Workshop: connecting to land with Susie Koren @ LaHave Weaving Studio 📒

@lahaveweavingstudio is pleased to offer a workshop by British artist @susiekoren.

The workshop inspires an observational sketchbook practice by sharing innovative and intuitive ways to visually document resources. Slowing down and observing is fundamental to immerse yourself in place.

On the first morning, you will go outdoors for an hour or so – it is not a hike. It’s time to find a quiet space to sit, reflect, gather materials, briefly record colour, line, and texture, and write notes as inspiration for your work.

Combining outdoor exploration with studio practice, the course encourages everyone to be playful and curious, exploring mark-making and experimental drawing techniques using found objects.

Susie will demonstrate how to prepare her biodegradable soya milk binder to paint earth pigments on cloth and paper. With guidance, participants will have the opportunity to try out this process to make colour studies and discover how subtle variations of hue, tone, and shade can transform a palette.

Perfect for beginners and experienced artists alike, the workshop offers a nurturing space for participants to discover what resonates with them and to develop a personal, reflective sketchbook practice.

📅 October 8–10, 2026
📍 LaHave Bakery Gallery, NS-331, LaHave, NS B0R 1C0

⎯

Please contact Lesley Armstrong at LaHave Weaving Studio with any questions, more details, and to reserve a spot. lesley@lahaveweavingstudio.ca

More info at the link in bio.

📸 Images: Courtesy of Susie Koren.

#ObservationalSketchbook #ArtWorkshop #ArtistLedWorkshop #ConnectToNature #LaHaveWeavingStudio by @susiekoren