She has won numerous awards and has been featured in several magazines and books including Quilting Arts [USA] and Inspiration, the monthly magazine published by Bernina in Switzerland. Sylvia began her career in England, as a teacher, before moving to Canada. She has taught thread and paint related workshops in Canada, the USA and England. Sylvia's works have been shown in galleries in Canada, the UK, USA and Germany. Works are also in private collections in many parts of the world.
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Sylvia Naylor - Artist statement:
Making art is an essential part of me. I love the challenge of expressing the world around me with dye, paint and stitch. I find inspiration for my artwork everywhere but my love of the natural world predominates. In the winter I ski and snow shoe and in warmer weather I hike, paddle my canoe and work in my garden. It is on these outing that I make drawings and notes as well as spending much time observing. Photographs also add to my visual memories. In the cities I find inspiration in neglected and ruined buildings revealing fragments of previous histories.
In the studio my thoughts and ideas take form through experimentation. When I am ready to begin a piece of work I work out my ideas in a sketch book or in a paper collage. I often dye my background fabrics before adding paints. All of my work uses free motion machine embroidery.
I often manipulate the stitch tension to make loopy stitches. Sometimes embellished papers and hand embroidery will be part of the work. I am sometimes asked why I don’t paint instead of stitching. The answer is that I have always loved working with fabrics and threads since my school days in England. I love the feel of fibres, their textures, versatility and challenges.
I hope that though my eyes people will look more closely at the natural world appreciate its beauty and therefore do their best to protect it.
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