Kathy White creates works of art using natural fibre yarns and threads pressed into beeswax coated panels. She is drawn to the organic and tactile nature of these materials and their historic connection to both needlework and home making.

White began exploring the artistic possibilities of working in this way when she was struck by a disparity in her approach to learning to knit versus learning to paint. An avid knitter, she accepted that her skill level would increase with practice but noticed that her approach to painting was less tolerant, influenced by the ‘you either have it or you don’t’ way of thinking. This realization formed a bridge between the two methods of making that she continues to explore.

She considers her grandmother, mother, Girl Guide leaders, 4-H leaders, art teachers, and mentors to be her greatest teachers and feels her art continues an ongoing conversation about the role of women, fibres and needlecraft in the art world. Raised in rural Southwestern Ontario and encouraged to explore the woodlots, ditches, and fields that formed the backdrop to her childhood, White is concerned that the flora and fauna is threatened by encroaching cities and the industrialization of agriculture. Her work salutes these disappearing landscapes and creatures.

You can find her work at http://www.kathywhiteart.com/p/hom.html or follow her on instagram @kathywhiteart.