Lorraine Ross began her textile art journey in practicality. She started making garments for her first child, then for her second, third, and fourth. During this time, she worked at a fabric store, joining a community of sewing enthusiasts and quilters. A woman working in the store was particularly good at putting colours together and Lorraine was inspired. By the time Lorraine’s children developed their own willfulness in wardrobe choice, Lorraine had found another way to sew what she wanted. With quilting as a starting point, Lorraine began to seek out further skills and education in textile art.
In the years that followed, Lorraine took multiple trips to Washington state to attend Gail Harker’s Experimental Studies in Stitch. The instruction covered experimental hand stitch, mixed media approaches, colour theory and basic composition. Next she studied with Ruth Issett in the UK, who specialized in bright, saturated, high-contrast colour combinations, made using dyes and stitch. She also studied with Claire Benn, a true mentor, also in the UK. Her time with Claire focused more on a minimal style using stitch, varied media and dyes to create art.
Lorraine finds inspiration in songs, phrases, a word, architecture while traveling and the textures in nature. The process of layering is a favourite technique and the hunt for the right materials is an ongoing source of inspiration. Over years of textile creation, Lorraine’s work has evolved from a more conservative style, with roots in quilting, to a bold and experimental style that includes non-traditional materials, innovative techniques and painting with dye and acrylic. Her evolution as an artist has been to move from shyness in mark-making (paint and dye) to expressing herself more openly and confidently with bold choices in colour and contrast. In the future, she intends to do more church banners and to develop some unified bodies of work for exhibit. Lorraine loves the quiet sewing time to spend in her own thoughts about the world, and makes time for sewing a daily practice.
“Working with textiles gives me the opportunity to express my artistic thoughts. I endeavour to capture the attention of the viewer with their initial sight and then draw them in for a closer look at the details.
I particularly enjoy creating layers on my pieces. I add layers of colour through the use of dyes and also by removing colour. Another layer may be added with sheer fabrics and lastly, a layer with stitch.
For me, the enjoyment is truly in the process of creating. Once I start, the piece leads me through to completion.” — Lorraine Ross