Kate Owens: Textile Artist & Maker
Detail of Creeping Velvet (Pollokshields late summer overlap)
Irish linen naturally dyed with birch bark and block printed with solvent-free inks. 120 x 225cm, 2023.
Photography by Katherine Anne Rose with thanks to Studio Pavilion, Glasgow
Kate Owens is a textile artist based in Glasgow who combines printmaking with choreography, inspired by her interest in movement and her experience with a partially fixed spine.
She developed a unique block printing technique using wooden sandals to create dynamic, large-scale prints on fabrics. Owens is dedicated to sustainable practices, using natural dyes and repurposed materials. Her works, such as the "Creeping Velvet" series showcased at Collect 2023, are deeply connected to her local environment and emphasize the physical process of creation.
Kate was one of our fantastic workshop participants in 2022 and in her feedback to us, talked about how important the session had been to the development of her work at the time and her plans to create new work based on her workshop experience.
"The setting of the workshop and the sharing of stories amongst the participants was inspiring. I also got a lot out of listening to Hugh Jones talking about textile manufacturing and his take on Klein’s production methods.
The workshop made me want to visit the Bernat Klein collections at Heriot Watt and NMS to see more fabric samples.
I’m intending to make some new block prints on linen in response to my research so far. I’ve been listening to the archive of personal stories about working with Bernat and Margaret Klein and taking notes relating to movement and looseness. These excerpts will be the starting point for designing my print motifs."
To read the whole article and interview with Kate, visit Kate Owens - Craft Scotland.
Left: Creeping Velvet (Pollokshields late summer overlap) and Right: Creeping Velvet (Pollokshields late summer drape)
Irish linen naturally dyed with birch bark and block printed with solvent-free inks. Each 120 x 225cm, 2023
Photography by Katherine Anne Rose with thanks to Studio Pavilion, Glasgow
