Jane Colquhoun

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collections 2025

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Jane uses snips of leftover fabrics and threads (aka ‘orts’), that are layered and held together with stitch as tiny, quilted figures. The figures represent the shape of community – her maternal line, female friends, strangers observed from a distance or aspects of her own identity. Fabric motifs, text and other scraps transform the figures into surreal creatures: hybrid flower maidens, mythical mermaids, dancing queens or goddesses - a celebration of nature and kinship.

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This body of work emerged following the loss of Jane's mother and a residency with seam collective for the Holburne Museum in Bath, when her focus turned inward. Exploring a more interior and personal world, themes of belonging, identity, and loss became the undercurrents for a new direction in Jane's practice. Narrative began to regain a significant role as she sought connection with her family’s past, the communities they inhabited, and the folklore surrounding them.

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Presented as part of this exhibition about collections, the work reflects on the emotional and symbolic significance of gathering, saving, and repurposing - both materially and metaphorically. Each figure is a kind of personal archive, made from fragments collected over time, where chance placement and intuitive assemblage give rise to surreal and often comical forms. Through these collected remnants, Jane pieces together stories that honour memory, community, and transformation.

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Click images for details and if you are interested in any of Jane Colquhoun's work please enquire below.​​​​​​​​​