PRESS
AT A GLANCE
Artist: Claire Passmore
Based: Mauritius
Nationality / background: British-born
Practice: Contemporary textile and fibre art; wall-hung textile works and soft sculpture
Primary media: Fabric, textile, thread, dye, paint, embroidery, appliqué, quilting and found/recycled materials
Professional affiliation: Juried Artist Member, Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA)
International exhibition history: United Kingdom, United States, Europe, Asia, Australia and Mauritius
Museum collections: International Quilt Museum and other private and institutional collections
Professional Activities: Author, juror, curator, speaker, former board member, mentor
Publications: Eos, Johns Hopkins Magazine, Issues in Science and Technology, Art Quilting Studio Magazine and others
Based: Mauritius
Nationality / background: British-born
Practice: Contemporary textile and fibre art; wall-hung textile works and soft sculpture
Primary media: Fabric, textile, thread, dye, paint, embroidery, appliqué, quilting and found/recycled materials
Professional affiliation: Juried Artist Member, Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA)
International exhibition history: United Kingdom, United States, Europe, Asia, Australia and Mauritius
Museum collections: International Quilt Museum and other private and institutional collections
Professional Activities: Author, juror, curator, speaker, former board member, mentor
Publications: Eos, Johns Hopkins Magazine, Issues in Science and Technology, Art Quilting Studio Magazine and others
Claire Passmore, Artist
SHORT BIO
Claire Passmore is a contemporary textile artist whose work explores colour, texture, form, movement and the physical possibilities of fabric.
Working primarily with textiles, she combines traditional and contemporary techniques including dyeing, painting, stitching, appliqué, quilting, folding, pleating and sculptural construction. Her works often move beyond the conventional flat picture plane, using manipulated and folded fabrics to create depth, shadow and three-dimensional form.
Her practice is informed by both textile traditions and contemporary abstract art. She is particularly interested in transforming familiar textile materials and processes into unexpected sculptural and visual forms.
Claire Passmore is a contemporary textile artist whose work explores colour, texture, form, movement and the physical possibilities of fabric.
Working primarily with textiles, she combines traditional and contemporary techniques including dyeing, painting, stitching, appliqué, quilting, folding, pleating and sculptural construction. Her works often move beyond the conventional flat picture plane, using manipulated and folded fabrics to create depth, shadow and three-dimensional form.
Her practice is informed by both textile traditions and contemporary abstract art. She is particularly interested in transforming familiar textile materials and processes into unexpected sculptural and visual forms.
SHORT ARTIST STATEMENT
I like to touch and hold fabric, feeling its weight, texture and structure, noticing how it sits, folds and twists in my hands. This direct, personal encounter with the material is central to my practice. I explore how fabric can be manipulated—scrunched, knotted, pleated, folded and stitched—to create soft sculptural volumes that can be connected into groupings, stacks and assemblages.
Transformation is at the heart of this process. I am interested in taking a familiar, pliable material and giving it physical presence, structure and volume, creating forms that can appear unexpectedly solid, rigid or architectural. I am fascinated by the physical challenge of engineering and coaxing fabric to behave against its natural tendencies, finding ways to make a soft, flexible material hold unexpected forms and structures.
Whenever possible, I work with rescued and discarded fabrics that are considered to have little or no further use. Through deconstruction and re-making, these overlooked materials are transformed and given renewed significance.
My process is slow and exploratory, drawing on origami, patchwork and quilting. Bold colour, stitch, embroidery and embellishment add dimension, while light and shadow accentuate the raised, folded and layered surfaces. My work occupies a space between textile and sculpture, softness and rigidity, inviting close looking and the impulse to touch.
I like to touch and hold fabric, feeling its weight, texture and structure, noticing how it sits, folds and twists in my hands. This direct, personal encounter with the material is central to my practice. I explore how fabric can be manipulated—scrunched, knotted, pleated, folded and stitched—to create soft sculptural volumes that can be connected into groupings, stacks and assemblages.
Transformation is at the heart of this process. I am interested in taking a familiar, pliable material and giving it physical presence, structure and volume, creating forms that can appear unexpectedly solid, rigid or architectural. I am fascinated by the physical challenge of engineering and coaxing fabric to behave against its natural tendencies, finding ways to make a soft, flexible material hold unexpected forms and structures.
Whenever possible, I work with rescued and discarded fabrics that are considered to have little or no further use. Through deconstruction and re-making, these overlooked materials are transformed and given renewed significance.
My process is slow and exploratory, drawing on origami, patchwork and quilting. Bold colour, stitch, embroidery and embellishment add dimension, while light and shadow accentuate the raised, folded and layered surfaces. My work occupies a space between textile and sculpture, softness and rigidity, inviting close looking and the impulse to touch.
SELECTED 2026 EXHIBITIONS
Anchored - Schweinfurth Art Center, Auburn, New York, USA
Alouda Glacé - Schweinfurth Art Center, Auburn, New York, USA
Deep Dive - Caudan Arts Centre, Port Louis, Mauritius
AI: Artistic Interpretations - Louisiana State University Museum of Art, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Hot Stuff - BlackRock Center for the Arts, Germantown, Maryland, USA
Metamorphosis - Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Laurel, Mississippi, USA
Pollinating Paradise - International Quilt Festival, Houston, Texas, USA
Watching and Waiting - Festival of Quilts, Birmingham, UK
Anchored - Schweinfurth Art Center, Auburn, New York, USA
Alouda Glacé - Schweinfurth Art Center, Auburn, New York, USA
Deep Dive - Caudan Arts Centre, Port Louis, Mauritius
AI: Artistic Interpretations - Louisiana State University Museum of Art, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Hot Stuff - BlackRock Center for the Arts, Germantown, Maryland, USA
Metamorphosis - Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Laurel, Mississippi, USA
Pollinating Paradise - International Quilt Festival, Houston, Texas, USA
Watching and Waiting - Festival of Quilts, Birmingham, UK
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FOR MEDIA & ENQUIRIES
Claire welcomes enquiries regarding her artwork, exhibitions, purchasing and professional opportunities.
Website → clairepassmore.com
Enquiries → Contact Claire Passmore
Press → Claire Passmore Press Page
Claire welcomes enquiries regarding her artwork, exhibitions, purchasing and professional opportunities.
Website → clairepassmore.com
Enquiries → Contact Claire Passmore
Press → Claire Passmore Press Page
PRESS IMAGES & ARTWORK USAGE
Artwork images and other visual material may only be used with the artist’s express permission. Contact Claire if you wish to use any images.
For publicity purposes only, the three images below may be downloaded without prior permission.
Artwork images and other visual material may only be used with the artist’s express permission. Contact Claire if you wish to use any images.
For publicity purposes only, the three images below may be downloaded without prior permission.
Claire Passmore with Anchored, 2025
Claire Passmore at work, 2023
Claire Passmore & Deep Dive, 2026