Embroidered art for nature lovers
Upcoming Exhibitions
Natural History Illustration and Beyond
When: 15th May - 15th June 2026
Where: CStudios Gallery, 518 Hunter St, Newcastle NSW 2300
The University of Newcastle’s Natural History Illustration Program has had a strong reputation for producing exceptional artists who bridge the gap between art and science. This exhibition invites a curated selection of Alumni and mid-career artists who create work with meticulous detail and scientific accuracy. Through various mediums the artists highlight Australia’s unique natural history.
This exhibition is presented in parallel with Natural History Illustration and Beyond at Cstudios Art Gallery
Solo Exhibition
When: 28th November - 1st December 2026
Where: Leda Gallery - 2-3, 850 Hunter Street Newcastle West NSW Australia (enter via ‘The Store’ Laneway, next to Newcastle Interchange)
More details coming soon
Past Exhibitions
CORAL, an exhibition of embroidered artwork by Meredith Woolnough
October/November 2023
Click HERE to read more about the CORAL exhibition.
The 100 Embroideries Project
An installation and exhibition of 100 + embroidered pieces created by renowned textile artist Meredith Woolnough during 2020. Meredith works with a unique form of embroidery, creating sculptural artworks with a domestic sewing machine and water-soluble fabrics. Her etherial embroideries explore and celebrate the beauty of nature, inspired by the patterns, structures and forms of coral, leaves and shells.
Read more about the ‘100 Embroideries Project’ HERE.
Take the digital exhibition tour HERE.
Purchase prints and gift cards from this exhibition HERE.
Meredith discusses her latest embroidered art series; 'The 100 Embroideries Project'.
Biophilia: an innate and genetically determined affinity of human beings with the natural world. (E.O. Wilson - biologist)
In Biophillia, Meredith explores the small and often overlooked veining systems found in nature. Some pieces in the collection take the form of large-scale studies of the systems within individual leaf or coral specimens, others are collections of hundreds of stitched leaves arranged in rhythmic forms. All of the works invite the viewer to look closer at nature and appreciate its delicate and robust beauty.
Meredith Woolnough’s embroidered traceries map the frameworks of various veining systems found in nature, creating artwork that explores the balance, harmony and connectivity of life on earth. Her process begins with extensive fieldwork and research into her subjects, building up a deep understanding of their anatomy and morphology. This is then translated into a stitched drawing, which acts as a man-made specimen built from thread.
Meredith’s stitched specimens are drawn with a domestic sewing machine onto a fabric that dissolves in water. This unique fabric acts as a temporary surface for the drawing and is eventually washed away leaving the sculptural, stitched drawing behind. These sculptural drawings are then carefully pinned in shadowboxes like preserved specimens.