And what is it to work with love?

I believe there is a strong relationship between the land and our interior landscapes. When we are connected to the land, we’re connected to ourselves, and one another.

I bring together materials and processes that express the union of humanity and the physical world. Whether stitching, drawing, planting seeds, or harvesting, my hands echo the gestures made by thousands of hands over thousands of years and I feel connected to the lineage of people working with textiles, plants and the land. Stitching, like agriculture, can be functional-- a technical solution to join materials/a means of survival-- or, both can be done purely in service of the soul, lifting the spirit through beauty and wonder.  

This collection of embroidered leaves is a celebration of what can be done when we are gentle and act with care. 

Hillary Waters Fayle received a MFA in Craft/Material Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a BFA from Buffalo State College. She is an Assistant Professor and Head of the Fiber Area in the department of Craft/Materials Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. She has previously taught at Penland School of Craft (NC), the Mediterranean Art & Design Program,(Italy), and Yasar University (Turkey). Her work has been widely exhibited and is included in the permanent collections of the Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo, NY, the Kalmthout Arboretum & Botanical Gardens in Belgium, the United States Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka and several private collections. A public installation in collaboration with the AK Museum can be seen year round in Buffalo, NY.

RECENT PRESS & VIDEO

Interview on The Weather Channel, April 10, 2021

Video made by PlantPop, 2017