Textile & Mixed Media Art
Ecological Textile & Mixed Media Art by Marie Mitchell
I create textile and mixed‑media artworks that explore the ecological stories held within threatened ecosystems, habitats, and wildlife. My work responds to the places and species most affected by human development. I use layers of paint, fabric, and dense free‑motion stitching to translate ecological stories into textile form. Although I work by machine, the process is slow and labour‑intensive, building up multiple stitched layers that echo the complexity, texture, and vulnerability of natural systems.
The materials and techniques I use help me pay attention to the details that often go unnoticed — shifting ground surfaces, plant communities, traces of wildlife, and subtle signs of environmental change. Stitching allows me to think about repair, care, and the fragile connections that hold ecosystems together.
Contemporary Ecological Textile Art for Public and Private Spaces
Spaces shape how we encounter ideas, and ecological art can deepen that encounter. Placing textile‑based ecological work within public and private spaces creates opportunities for reflection, slowing the pace of movement and inviting viewers to consider their relationship with place.
Each artwork carries the marks of the environments that inform it, offering both material presence and an interpretive entry point into the habitats and species under pressure.
In workplaces, waiting rooms, community settings, and domestic spaces, these works act as quiet interventions—holding attention, prompting dialogue, and connecting people to the ecological systems that sustain them.
Advocacy, Environmental Humanities & My Art Practice
My creative work is shaped by a deep sense of responsibility to the environments I live alongside. Many people care about the natural world but feel overwhelmed by conflicting information and the scale of environmental change.
My art responds to this by focusing on what is being protected, restored, and understood — the efforts of scientists, volunteers, and community groups working quietly toward ecological repair.
My practice sits within the environmental humanities, where art, ecology, community, and cultural meaning intersect. I use art to explore ecological relationships, foreground overlooked species and fragile habitats, and bring together scientific, community, and place‑based knowledge. Through projects such as Wetland Stories, community‑engaged research, and public presentations, advocacy is woven naturally into my work.
My contribution is to make these stories visible — to offer connection, clarity, and a hopeful way into conversations about environmental change.
