Connected to a sense of place
- Yvonne’s practice employs traditional rug-hooking and tapestry techniques
- Previously a Montessori teacher, she has found a passion in textile art
- Her textured pieces draw heavily on place-based materials and landscapes
Yvonne Iten-Scott relies on traditional techniques of rug hooking and tapestry making to create contemporary wall pieces and sculptural objects. “I never sketch my patterns, I always begin with a colour palette and allow each piece to unfold intuitively from the centre,” she says. Yvonne is particularly inspired by landscape and place. Residencies in Iceland, Scotland and Shetland have shaped her practice, offering her locally sourced wools and materials that allow her to create works anchored in a specific environment. Yvonne’s figurative pieces are colourful and textured, often depicting animals, while her abstract works reflect a deep engagement with colour, fibre and form.
Interview
- Where do you begin with a new piece?
- I start with colour. Once I have settled on a palette, I begin in the middle and build outward. I do not draw patterns. Letting the work develop organically keeps the process intuitive.
- What role does place play in your practice?
- It is central to it. During residencies, I use only local fibres and make pieces that respond to the landscape around me. The animals, colours and textures of a region often dictate what I make. My studio is on a farm which provides a daily source of inspiration.
- How do you decide if you want to create abstract and figurative work?
- The figurative pieces, usually animals, are tied to where I am working. Abstract works come from exploring colour and texture. Both approaches stem from the materials and environment at hand, so it just depends on what they are at the time.
- Do you feel your life influences your artworks?
- Not directly. My artworks do not record personal milestones and are not designed as a place for personal reflection. What enters the pieces is the landscape around me, the fibres available to me and the time I have spent in a particular place.
Yvonne Iten-Scott is a rising star: she began her career in 2022 and she started teaching in 2023
Where
Yvonne Iten-Scott
