Naomi J Kendall

I create work primarily with paper which I cut, fold, layer and weave. Paper is versatile and strong and comes in an endless variety of colours, weights and textures. It’s such an every-day material yet it can be transformed in so many ways.

My work is meticulously hand made, both playful and precise, with a nod to textiles and my background in sculpture. I draw on the techniques used in textiles and I explore their colours and patterns alongside those I find in the built and natural environments.

The lively, textured surfaces reflect my three dimensional approach. I regularly incorporate mark making with inks and paints – the production of a piece requires much movement, lifting and turning as I work into the front and back of the surface.

My printed pieces are all hand finished and therefore each one is unique. They form a more accessible collection of work and are a very direct way of exploring and layering colours and their overlapping intersections.

I exhibit my work in the South West, across the UK and overseas. I am a Royal West of England Academy Network Artist, a member of the Paper Artist Collective and featured as a master artisan in the Michelangelo Foundation’s Homo Faber Guide.

I completed a Foundation Course at Cheltenham School of Art where I focused on sculpture. I then pursued my interest in the history of art and took a degree at Leicester University and a postgraduate diploma at Manchester University in Art Gallery and Museum Studies. After a career working in galleries and running community arts projects I returned to making my own work.