Northlight Gallery, Stromness
Transpire
New work by Peter Brown and Louise Martin.

Heallreaf 4

Farfield Mill, Sedbergh. 19th May - 6th July 2022.
Oxmarket, Chichester. 13th - 24th September 2022.
RBSA< Birmingham. 1st - 12th November 2022.

Lifetime Winner of the Cordis Prize

Speaking on behalf of the judging panel, founder Ms Harvey described Ms Martin's work as "extraordinary".
She said: "The experienced judging panel were fascinated by the technique of how it was made.
"With the light falling on the silk, you get this very delicate web of little patterns.
"It's incredibly lyrical, based on a poem, which is shared in the exhibition catalogue.
"It's a very subtle piece. It has a lot of paradoxical qualities. So it's very soft. It's very fragile. But it's very rigid. It's very hard.
"There are very tiny little incremental changes in it. And yet, it goes through a whole spectrum of shades and textures.
"I mean, it is an extraordinary piece to have been made. I could look at it all day and see more."

Winner of the Kate Derum Award for small tapestries

"Louise Martin is an accomplished tapestry weaver who uses her technical skills in a highly personal, creative way. At the loom she works spontaneously allowing her experience and memory of place to flow through the weft into the woven structure. As a result, the shaped tapestry is subtle in colour and texture, strong in form and composition, embodying her sense of place." - Emeritus Professor Valerie Kirk, award judge.

Connections: Contemporary Woven Tapestry Inspired by the Gracefield Collection
Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries, Scotland
11th September - 6th November

Louise Martin - A Landscape Recalled
Warp and weft - silk, paper, linen, cotton and wool
58 x 64 cm

Kate Derum Award

Tuesday 16 July – Friday 13 September 2019

Australian Tapestry Workshop 262-266 Park Street, South Melbourne, VIC 3205

Kate Derum Award finalist Louise Martin - Two Blues 7

Cotton, linen, wire. 25.5 x 27 x 0.3 cm

The Cordis Prize for Tapestry

Inverleith House Gallery, The Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh
16 March – 27 May 2019 

What is Green? has been shortlisted for the Cordis Prize for Tapestry.

The Cordis Prize is the world’s largest award for tapestry.

Island to Island

Louise Martin and Ros Bryant.
Hodgson Loom Gallery, Laxey Woollen Mills, Laxey, Isle of Man
15th June - 13th July 2019

Island to Island

Louise Martin and Ros Bryant
7-20th September 2018
Northlight Studio, Stromness, Orkney

An exhibition of woven tapestry and stone, responding to the landscape from Westray to the Isle of Man.

This exhibition will move to the Hodgson Loom Gallery, Laxey, Isle of Man from the 15th June - 13th July 2019.

Sound and Weave: Contemporary Woven Art Inspired by Sound

Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries
11th August - 29th September 2018

Whispered Words 
Conversational pieces between grandmother and granddaughter. Words, and the quietness between, hang in the air, in memory, like the vibration of words when first spoken. These words are able to drift, rotate in the air, connected by a fine continuous yarn, each conversation becoming part of a whole. A choir which resonates across time. 

The Biggest Little Tapestries in the World!

12th international, unjuried small format tapestry exhibition.
Northwest Reno Public Library, 2325 Robb Drive, NV 89523, USA.
Crofting by Louise Martin
Paper warp. Linen, silk, wool and paper weft

Crossing

Iota Gallery, Glasgow
21st May - 2nd June 2018
An exhibition celebrating a decade of creative journeys. Woven tapestries by Louise Martin and some weavers I have taught.

Kate Derum Award

9 August - 29 September 2017
Australian Tapestry Workshop 262-266 Park Street, South Melbourne, VIC 3205
Kate Derum Award finalist Louise Martin - The Field of the Fourth Month
Cotton, wool, linen, silk, rayon. 30x30 cm

Travelling Tapestry: Textile Mail Art

Museo Textil de Oaxaca, Mexico
October 14th 2016 - February 26th 2017

A Secret Place by Louise Martin
Cotton warp. Cotton, linen, wool and stainless steel weft

The Cordis Prize for Tapestry

Royal Scottish Academy Upper Galleries, Edinburgh
3-27th December 2016
Ploughed has been shortlisted for the Cordis Prize for Tapestry.

North light Gallery, Stromness, Orkney

19th November - 1st December 2016

Self portrait showing now in 'What are we like' .

Dunblane, Scotland

November 2016
A quiet moment is one of six pieces showing at Veronica Jane Lynch,
Gallery of Fine & Applied Arts Autumn Show

South Hamar Waiting

3rd - 11th September 2016
Whispered Words at South Hamar

Dunblane Museum, Dunblane

1 - 31st August 2016
Winter Solstice now showing at  Each Day has a Colour

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

July 26th - August 11th, 2016
Ascending Snow Mountain is in the exhibition Tapestry Unlimited
24 x 17.5 cm
Cotton, linen, rayon, wool, stainless steel and silk weft
Cotton warp

Whispered words

I am delighted to hear Whispered Words won the public vote, 3D category and overall winners prize at the air exhibition, Hodgson Loom Gallery, IOM

Tapestry Weaving Kit

The tapestry weaving starter kit will be for sale on the British Tapestry Group Stand at Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show (26-29th November 2015), at a special offer of £38.

Solo show: To An Islander

Woven tapestries, paintings and embroideries inspired by my travels.
1st - 22nd November 2014
Hodgson Loom Gallery, Laxey Woollen Mills, Laxey, Isle of Man IM7 7AR

Capturing Moments

Painting and Textiles Exhibition
20th - 28th July 2013
Seten, Cappadocia Cultural Centre, Goreme, Turkey

The Cutting-Off Ceremony of 'The Unicorn at Bay', at Stirling Castle

On the 7th July 2011 we had a memorable cutting-off ceremony for our third tapestry woven at Stirling Castle. For the last nine and a half years, I have been weaving on ‘The Hunt of the Unicorn’ series and this one, ‘The Unicorn at Bay’ commenced four years ago. My colleagues and I began the preparatory work by drawing the cartoon, then sampling, warping up and weaving the 3.30m x 3.60m tapestry. The last thing we wove were our initials in the selvedge, along with the date of completion plus the West Dean’s Tapestry Studio’s logo, to whom we are employed.
 
We work in front of the public, allowing visitors to admire the skill and time involved in making such a piece, and some of our regulars, who have supported us throughout the project, were invited along to the ceremony as well as British Tapestry Group friends and family.
 
The evening began with speeches before we began the lengthy process of cutting over a thousand cotton warps. Once cut, the handles controlling the bottom roller of our high warp loom were turned anti clockwise. Glimpses of the front of the tapestry could be seen on the beam as the acid free tissue paper was expertly removed between each rotation. Once it had been gently folded on a sheet in front of the loom we took it in turns to cut the warps at what was the beginning of the tapestry before moving it on to a large table.
 
This is the moment when the image will be seen for the first time, and I find I have a mixture of apprehension and an element of sadness, as we are moving to the end of working so closely with it.

Her Majesty the Queen officially opens the Royal Apartments at Stirling Castle 6th July 2011

I was introduced to the Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in the Queens Inner Chamber where tapestries adorn the walls.

The Balvenie Master of Crafts Award Ceremony: Textile Finalist

 On the evening of the 1st June 2011 I attended the inaugural awards ceremony for The Balvenie Masters of Craft, in London. It was a wonderfully lavish affair to celebrate and shine the light on craftsmanship within the categories of glass and ceramics, wood, metal, stone, leather and textiles. I was there as a textiles finalist, having been  nominated by Historic Scotland. I weave my own tapestries, teach and give talks, however, this award came about primarily because of my position as Senior Weaver at Stirling Castle

One of the judges, television's Kevin McCloud, spoke about his “belief that a beautifully crafted object - whatever it may be - has a soul.”
He went on to say, “In my experience, a great craftsperson has a healthy mix of eagerness to learn, a sense of humour, passion, pride, dedication, precision, patience and a willingness to succeed. They also tend to have an infuriating perfectionist streak in them!’