So you want my arts job: Wearable Art and Fibre Artist

Fibre artist Karen Lynch lives and works on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Her practice includes working with yarn, fabric and natural materials – those often salvaged, recycled or foraged. She designs and makes wearable art garments, sculpture and functional items using a variety of techniques.

Lynch was named the Australian Wearable Art Festival’s Sustainable Nature category winner in 2023 and the Trashion category winner in 2019. She has also been recently announced as a finalist for Tasmania’s Paper on Skin, a biennial wearable paper art competition.

Making and creativity have always been a part of Lynch’s life, and she tells ArtsHub about the moment she started seeing herself as an artist – ‘at the tender age of 56’. She juggles her practice between motherhood, family life and community engagement, and enjoys spreading the joy of wearable art to everyone.

Lynch is a finalist of the 2024 Australian Wearable Art Festival and will be showcasing a piece in the Avant-garde category. The Festival runs from 9-10 August in Sunshine Coast, Queensland.

How would you describe what you do?

I am a fibre artist – I use fibre to make art. The fibres I use are many and varied, but include yarn, fabric and natural materials.

One of my more recent designs, Recurvata, is a wearable art piece made from ponytail palm leaves. The basketry techniques incorporated into the design evoke flowing movement and are designed to embody nature’s grace. Likewise, the organic material and colour palette celebrates sustainability and the natural world’s beauty. 

Recurvata won the Sustainable Nature category at the 2023 Australian Wearable Art Festival.

How did you get started in making fibre and wearable art?

I have always been a maker, although I came to art later in my life in my mid-50s. My first foray into wearable art was in 2017, at a small event in Eumundi as part of the Horizon Festival, an annual arts and cultural program on the Sunshine Coast.

For many years, my life was consumed by motherhood, family life and engagement in my community. As I emerged from that very busy part of my life, I began to see that I wanted to evolve my creative skills – from being a crafter to an artisan and then on to becoming an artist, if I could!

Backstage at the Australian Wearable Art Festival in 2022, one of the judges asked me when I had started to see myself as an artist – I knew exactly when that happened! It was May 2019 at the tender age of 56, and I had just won the Trashion section at the same festival, with my slinky crocheted gown, Sparkles Saved.

What’s an average day or week like?

Every day, every week is different! 

Some days I don’t do any art, as my other life roles take all my time. Some days I make art feverishly all day and long into the night! But my most typical day is that I practise my art intermingled with all the other things in my life – an hour here and there.  

I have a room in my home, which I call my studio. Unfortunately, often it ends up looking like a storeroom. I am usually working on multiple projects at the same time, and my work is spread all over my home – in my lounge room, at my dining table, on my verandah. My poor husband! I always have something that I’m working on when I travel. Luckily, I’m mostly the passenger. 

What’s the most common misconception about making wearable art?

The most common misconception I encounter is that wearable art is just a few different bits of junk stuck together as a weird creation. Most people don’t have a clue what wearable art is. 

I will often show people photos or videos of the high-quality wearable art pieces currently being created, so hopefully they can see the stunning designs and workmanship, that beautiful fusion of materials, design and the wearing of the garment. 

Art plus fashion equals magic. 

What is the most exciting aspect of your practice, whether making sculpture, functional items or wearable pieces?

Designing and creating wearable art pieces is the most enjoyable part of my art practice – it excites me and brings me great joy. From design to creation, to viewing it moving on the catwalk – it warms my heart. 

I am definitely drawn to tactile mediums where I am using my hands. I love to crochet and most days I would crochet something. Crochet centres and soothes me.

I am also very fond of basketry. Making sculpture and functional items helps me to experiment with different materials in novel ways, and helps me to develop my techniques and skills.

If you were interviewing someone for your job, what skills and qualities would you look for?

A willingness to experiment, take risks and simply have a go.

Someone willing to try new materials and techniques. 

A joy in observation and a desire to seek ideas and inspiration. 

Patience and persistence, and perhaps a bit of obsession!

Read: So you want my arts job: 2D Type Artist

Do you have any advice for those looking to start making their own wearable art pieces?

Be observant, look at the world around you and the art that other artists are making. Go to exhibitions, large and small. Attend wearable art shows like Australian Wearable Art Festival and Paper on Skin.

Look at the myriad ideas online. Keep a visual diary. Begin with something small – like a hat or shoes. 

What’s the best thing happening in the world of wearable art at the moment?

The best thing happening to wearable art right now is that more people are becoming interested in it, coming along and enjoying the spectacle that it is. I feel like it is starting to be seen as a real art form. 

Schools are starting to teach wearable art within their art curriculum. I have had the pleasure of speaking with art students about wearable art at St John’s College in Nambour and Lourdes Hill College in Brisbane. I’m looking forward to seeing the works created by the Year 9 students at Lourdes Hill in their current wearable art unit. 

Events like Australian Wearable Art Festival, Paper on Skin and, of course, the World of Wearable Art in New Zealand, are exposing more people to high-quality wearable art creations.

For more in the So you want my arts job series.