Lindsey McTavish is a Canadian fibre and textile artist whose practice transforms wool and silk into layered landscapes of colour, light, and memory. Originally from Toronto and now based in Nelson, British Columbia, she creates hand-felted and quilted works that explore the rhythms of nature and the grounding power of beauty.
McTavish studied Fibre Arts at the Kootenay School of the Arts and Fashion Design at Toronto's International Academy of Design, experiences that shaped her deep respect for material process and compositional detail. Her art blends ancient textile traditions with a contemporary sensitivity to colour and form, balancing realism with abstraction. through tactile surfaces and carefully layered patterns, she seeks to evoke serenity, reflection, and connection with place.
Nature is her central inspiration, but her work is not simply representational. Instead, her fibre landscapes are infused with memory and emotion - capturing the glow of fading light, the quiet after the storm, or the stillness at day's end Each piece becomes both a reflection of lived experience and an invitation for viewers to find their own grounding and calm.
Alongside her studio practice, McTavish is a co-owner of Nelson's Craft Connection Gallery, where she and her 5 female creative partners showcase the work of over 200 Canadian artists. Her work has been exhibited across Canada and the United States, and Europe, and featured in numerous international art publications.
Guided by a philosophy to "focus on the good," McTavish creates art that offers balance in an often overwhelming world. Her hand-felted textiles invite viewers to slow down, notice the details of colour and texture, and reconnect with the quiet strength of the natural world.
McTavish studied Fibre Arts at the Kootenay School of the Arts and Fashion Design at Toronto's International Academy of Design, experiences that shaped her deep respect for material process and compositional detail. Her art blends ancient textile traditions with a contemporary sensitivity to colour and form, balancing realism with abstraction. through tactile surfaces and carefully layered patterns, she seeks to evoke serenity, reflection, and connection with place.
Nature is her central inspiration, but her work is not simply representational. Instead, her fibre landscapes are infused with memory and emotion - capturing the glow of fading light, the quiet after the storm, or the stillness at day's end Each piece becomes both a reflection of lived experience and an invitation for viewers to find their own grounding and calm.
Alongside her studio practice, McTavish is a co-owner of Nelson's Craft Connection Gallery, where she and her 5 female creative partners showcase the work of over 200 Canadian artists. Her work has been exhibited across Canada and the United States, and Europe, and featured in numerous international art publications.
Guided by a philosophy to "focus on the good," McTavish creates art that offers balance in an often overwhelming world. Her hand-felted textiles invite viewers to slow down, notice the details of colour and texture, and reconnect with the quiet strength of the natural world.
See More Art by Lindsey McTavish
This review was published by Circle Foundation for the Arts © CFA Press ∙Images are courtesy of the artist