About Marie Mitchell
Ecological Textile and Mixed Media Artist
I am a textile and mixed‑media artist exploring the ecological stories held within threatened ecosystems, habitats, and wildlife. My work responds to the places and species most affected by human development, drawing on layered materials and dense free‑motion stitching to reflect the complexity, texture, and vulnerability of natural systems.
How I Work
I work with layers of paint, fabric, and repeated stitched marks to translate ecological stories into textile form. Although I use a sewing machine, the process is slow and labour‑intensive, building up multiple layers that echo the shifting surfaces of ground, water, and vegetation. Free‑motion stitching allows me to draw with thread, creating surfaces that hold memory, movement, and the traces of place.
What I Explore
My work focuses on ecosystems and species affected by human development — wetlands, coastal habitats, bushland edges, and the wildlife that depends on them. I pay attention to the small details that often go unnoticed: plant communities, ground textures, subtle environmental changes, and the fragile connections that hold ecosystems together. These observations shape the stories I bring into my work.
Advocacy and Environmental Humanities
My practice is grounded in a deep sense of responsibility to the environments I live alongside. I focus on what is being protected, restored, and understood — the efforts of scientists, volunteers, and community groups working toward ecological repair. My work sits within the environmental humanities, where art, ecology, community, and cultural meaning intersect. Through projects such as Wetland Stories, community‑engaged research, and public presentations, I use art to make ecological stories visible and accessible.