I’m Brenda Wood, a Brisbane based textile artist who paints, stitches, and layers colour to tell stories through cloth. My practice is grounded in a love of bold, intuitive mark-making and the joyful unpredictability of painted fabric. Working primarily with acrylic inks and expressive surface techniques, I create contemporary textile pieces that blend colour, character, and narrative.
Much of my work explores the strength and resilience of women—both well-known figures and those whose stories deserve to be seen. I’m especially drawn to faces, gestures, and the subtle emotions that emerge when paint and thread meet. Alongside portraiture, I find inspiration in vivid natural forms, abstract patterning, and the playful tension between structure and spontaneity. My work often reflects my love of the water, and in the many years since becoming a textile artist, I’ve explored a wide range of mediums and subjects—with the ocean and its environs making frequent appearances in my pieces.
Beyond my personal studio practice, I also create large-scale community art experiences through my subscription series, including Workshop in a Box and the colour-driven Rainbow Stash programs. These projects encourage makers around the world to explore colour, surface, and creativity in an accessible and joyful way, forming vibrant collective displays at major quilt shows.
My art is both playful and purposeful: saturated colour, layered textures, and stitched detail come together to create work that feels alive and personal. Each piece is an invitation to pause, look closer, and connect with the story woven through the surface.
Textile Art
Textile art is my preferred medium, offering endless ways to paint, stitch, and layer narrative. My subjects shift widely, but a clear aqueous thread runs through my practice—nature, water, and shoreline forms are themes I return to again and again.
My online business in which I sell textile art quilt products can be found at:
Brenda Wood Art 