Hanny Newton creates mesmerizing goldwork embroidery that plays with the light. “I really like the fact that metal brings an unexpected hardness to textiles, which is usually seen as quite a soft medium,” she explained in an interview with Textile Artist.
“Goldwork is an area of embroidery which is sometimes perceived to be somewhat traditional and has many rules,” she added. “To me, a rule of how something must be worked was at some point a new invention itself, and that excites me and keeps me inspired to explore what metal threads can do, without worrying if I am doing it ‘right’.”
Her technique relies on the rich heritage of embroidery, to which she adds her own voice and personality. She also teaches embroidery through workshops, passing on her know-how to others.
But though she’s now fully committed to her craft, there was a time when Newton treated embroidery as a mere hobby. “One day, I showed my stitching to my friend Kathleen who had studied art in London,” she recalled, “and she pointed out that I could actually study embroidery and that it didn’t just have to be a hobby.”
The rest was history.
