Sinead Barker North Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Sinead Barker (b.1989) is a textile artist based in York, North Yorkshire. She creates wildlife textile art using collaged fabrics and free-motion machine embroidery on hand-dyed canvas. Rooted in a lifelong affinity with animals, her work explores emotional experiences through the characteristics and symbolism of the wildlife she depicts.
I am a neurodivergent textile artist whose work is rooted in a lifelong affinity and deep bond with animals.
I create wildlife art on hand-dyed canvas backgrounds by collaging fabrics and using free-motion machine embroidery to add details that capture the distinctive features of each animal.
My practice emerged as a way of finding acceptance in living with a number of chronic, overlooked health conditions. Drawing on my previous experience as a professional sewing machinist, textiles became a natural medium for artistic expression.
Through the connection I feel with the characteristics, stories and symbolism of the wildlife I depict, my practice provides another way of processing lived experiences. My innate passion for wildlife, the sensory side of being in nature and photographing animals where possible all inspire my work and bring a sense of grounding and calm to my nervous system.
