Tracey Lawko textile artist

I’ve been fascinated by embroidery since childhood. I don’t know why, I simply was. I pestered my mother until she taught me my first few stitches. Then I started on kits, working mostly in petit point and crewel. Before long, I was creating my own designs. I joined the local embroiderer’s guild and took classes. I loved to draw and would spend hours drawing finely shaded pencil sketches. 

I grew up on the west coast of British Columbia where family camping trips and nature walks shaped my early connection to the natural world. While I didn’t have my mother’s scientific focus – she was an entomologist – I loved to watch butterflies, bees, and ladybugs and gained an early appreciation for the importance of pollinators. 

As a young adult, I travelled to Europe and studied in France, immersing myself in European art, decorative arts, culture and food. Later, my work with the Canadian government took me to Asia where I saw how arts and crafts expressed the unique identity and excellence of each culture. 

For more than 20 years, I have been dedicated to my own art practice. My work is inspired by where I live – my garden, the farmers’ fields and the hardwood forests of the Niagara Escarpment region of Ontario, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. Textiles are my primary medium where my landscapes and nature studies are “drawn with thread”. Over time, my materials have expanded to include wire and natural fibres from my garden and nearby foraged sources. I have also moved beyond the flat surface to create dimensional works using historically inspired stumpwork embroidery techniques and, more recently, freestanding sculpture.

My work focuses on themes of change and resilience in the natural environment and in my home country of Canada. It has been recognized with numerous awards and exhibitions and is held in the permanent collection of the U.S. National Quilt Museum as well as in private collections across Canada, the United States and Europe.

I am featured in the Homo Faber Guide, an online platform presented by the Michelangelo Foundation for Creativity and Craftsmanship. The Guide celebrates master artisans around the world, highlighting those who uphold exceptional standards through skill, tradition, and a deep commitment to their craft. Visit my profile page.

I am represented by Roberts Gallery in Toronto.  Contact the gallery about my work: requests@robertsgallery.net

Read my CV here.