OPEN STUDIO 2010

3rd Floor,
Jamaica Street Studios,
39, Jamaica Street,
Bristol,
BS2 8JP.

Sat  12th June 11 - 6pm
Sun 13th June  11- 6pm

The last chance to see Louise's latest embroideries, buy or commission work before she goes away for 6 months. She will speaking and teaching in New Zealand and seeking representation in the US until December 2010.

Louise Gardiner - Contemporary Embroideress! As one of the UK's most talented and bravest modern embroidery artists, Louise Gardiner is on the way up. Having recently been interviewed on Radio Four's Women's Hour, Louise's unusual work was quickly recognised by LIBERTY who have commissioned Louise to design and produce a quilt for the project Quilty Pleasures in conjunction with the V&A's Quilt exhibition this Spring. Louise's quilt, which became known as 'Licky Lips Liberty Lady' will be on display in the window of LIBERTY, on Regent Street, London until April 27th 2010. More here…

Her current work is being shown at the Gallery Espace as part of Lo Real Marvilloso Festival in Delhi, India and recently in a two woman show at Bluecoat Gallery in Liverpool Birds of a Feather. What underpins Louise's ethos is that while she is dedicated to her career, she is striving to promote embroidery as a modern and relevant art form which throws out traditional perceptions of embroidery.

While producing commissions for a wide range of customers both public and private, she continues to teach and give talks across the UK and overseas. In March she is invited to give a series of talks and workshops in Jersey, in May she will delivering a Superstitchers workshop at the V&A, followed by a 2 month teaching tour of New Zealand for their Embroiderers Guild Bi Annual conference. On the back of illustrating the gorgeous book Kirsties Homemade Home featuring this amazingly popular series on Channel Four, Louise recently gave a one to one master Class to Kirstie Allsopp for the next series to be shown in Autumn. Kirstie proclaimed during the lesson that this was by far the most enjoyable craft she had done so far and that she was addicted! Watch out for Louise on the new series in Autumn.

Louise has secured a five year deal with Woodmansterne Card Publications Ltd for the rights to Louise's figurative images for a fabulous new greetings range In Stitches out now and has a new excellent quality limited edition print range for sale on this site.

Louise's ambition is to do away with the image of embroidery as being a rather wired, stuffy old pastime. Steeped in thousands of years of history - just think Bayeux Tapestry - Louise believes her art form is modern, exciting, fast and fashionable. This new Liberty challenge is a chance for Louise, amongst others, to blow old conceptions of embroidery out of the water and give the craft a massive boost in the right direction on a national scale.

For Louise's up to date information, recent news and images see

lougardiner.blogspot.com

where Louise is recording her progress on various projects from inspiration to delivery and writing about her experience as a 'modern embroideress'.


Written by Philip J Ogley 2010