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Sylvie Millen LSDC

Stitched & Constructed Textiles

About Sylvie
Sylvie uses mixed media and free-motion machine stitching to create ethereal sculptures and highly textural vistas, a translation of how she visualises the natural world. Sylvie considers herself as an ‘experimental artist’ using both reclaimed and natural found plant fibres into her work, exploring a diverse range of processes and techniques. She endeavours to explore and push the boundaries of traditional machine embroidery to create contemporary stitched art that is grounded in nature.
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Sylvie draws inspiration from the natural environment, translating how she feels into her work. She is strongly influenced by the organic forms and patterns in nature and uses her emotional responses to produce machine stitched forms that represent the very essence of the fragility of nature and life.

Working intuitively with fibres, Sylvie makes intricate patterns using a sewing machine needle to ‘thread paint’ just as an artist would apply paint. The magical process of dissolving the stabilising fabric reveals a breathtaking combination of textures and organic patterns, the unpredictability of stitch blending into the natural plant fibres is an exciting part of the process.

Sylvie also enjoys creating three dimensional forms, a representation of her connection to nature. Using mixed media, paper, paint, collage and fabric, combined with stitching, she manipulates the materials to emulate nature, often adding elements found in nature, including shells, feathers or another natural find.

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Education

  • BA Ed Hons
  • Adult Ed Teaching Certificate
  • Teacher and Assessor NVQ

Memberships

  • Society for Embroidered Work
  • Midlands Textile Forum
  • Artcan

Exhibitions

  • S.E.W ‘Surface and Depth’ Palazzo Velli in Rome (Oct 21)
  • Foxlowe Gallery in Leek Group MTF (Sept 21)
  • Brewhouse Gallery MTF (Nov 21)
  • Fibres Arts Take Two. ‘Freedom to Form’ online exhibition (March 22)
  • Artcan 02 Exhibition at the NES Building, London (July 22)
  • Artcan ‘Legacy’ at the Crypt Gallery in London (Sep 22)
  • Evolve at Weavers Gallery with MTF (Oct 22)
  • Artcan online virtual exhibition ‘Climate Change’ (Jan 23)
  • Art Share Love Magazine feature (April 23)
  • MTF ‘Identity’ Southwell Workhouse, National Trust Property (Oct 23)
  • MTF ‘Sense of Place’ Nature in Art, Wallsworth Hall (July 23)
  • Nottingham Arts Society ‘Sense of Place’ (Sept 23’
  • Worcestershire Open Studios (Aug 23)
  • Stitch by Stitch Textile Exhibition (July 23)

Upcoming

  • Artcan ‘Unravelled’ Textile Exhibition, Landmark Arts Centre and Rupture XIBIT London (March 24)
  • Spring Cheltenham ‘Pathways’ joint textile exhibition (April 24)

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