Nola Archer

I am a Sydney textile artist working in print and stitch. It’s incredibly satisfying to make marks on a pristine surface, to create something that only existed in my imagination. Printmaking, in its many forms, fulfils this need; embroidery does the same. Printmaking is cerebral, immediate and irreversible. Embroidery is contemplative, calm and infinitely variable. Print sits on the surface; embroidery becomes more directly part of the cloth. Combining the two, printing and stitching on cloth, feels satisfying and creates works that are, for me, emotionally coherent.

I also create art because it allows me to explore social topics I feel passionate about. It may seem trite to say we live in a rapidly changing world, but it sometimes seems as if the hard-won achievements of the human race, like tolerance, equality, democracy, respect for the planet and each other, are steadily being lost. It’s easy to be strident about these challenges, but argument rarely changes minds.

I hope, through my works, to offer a gentler alternative point of view, an appeal to our common humanity.

Insta @nolaarcherdesigns