Hillary Waters Fayle is not your usual embroidery artist. Her unusual stitching works represent an unexpected union between threads and nature and showcase the power of a gentle and careful approach to things.
While Fayle’s artistic reach encompasses mixed media, she is best known for her series of embroidered leaves. She applies threads to dried leaves, creating intricate pieces that have been fascinating art lovers worldwide.
Through her embroidery works, Fayle wants to explore the relationship between natural and fabricated material. She also puts a great emphasis on sustainability, wanting to reach a zero-waste point in her practice. The leaves she uses are collected from the area around her home in Richmond, Virginia, while the threads are usually procured from second had sources.
“Stitching, like agriculture, can be functional—a technical solution to join materials/a means of survival—or, both can be done purely in service of the soul, lifting the spirit through beauty and wonder,” she explains on her website.
Most of Hillary Waters Fayle’s works are available on her Instagram page, where she shares her newest creations. They can also be checked out in person as part of several permanent botanical exhibitions, including those in Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo, and the Arboretum Kalmthout botanical garden in Kalmthout, Belgium.
