Caron Penney

Caron Penney’s tapestries are gridlocked. A love of pattern, systems, and repetition is central to her hand-woven textiles. At the core of Caron’s work are references to street architecture and structural comparisons between the warp and the weft. Surrounded by pattern, the urban landscape feeds Caron’s interest in humanity. Often these themes respond to the ebb and flow of the daily migration across a city or town. The subject matter draws comparisons between societies need to function and the individuals need for identity and their subtle co-existence. This careful balance is represented in the meticulous repetition of blocks of weaving and shapes in her tapestries. The artist sometimes reproduces familiar visual signs arranging them in sequences and rhythms.

Caron’s ideas develop through observation, photography, sketches and the resulting tapestries. She studied Constructed Textiles at Middlesex University, graduating with a BA (Hons). After working as a professional weaver for twenty years she opened her own studio in 2013. She has been featured in House & Garden magazine in November 2017 and Crafts Magazine in July/Aug 2018. She was a selected artist for the Royal Academy of Arts, Summer Exhibition in 2014 and 2020 and has exhibited widely.

Caron uses the same limited range of materials traditionally used to make handwoven tapestry, worsted wool and gilt gold threads, with the addition of dyed cotton warp which edge the finely woven pieces. She has a deep understanding of handwoven tapestry techniques and her resulting tapestries continue to be embraced by the original training she acquired as a professional weaver.

See Caron's Work in Our Textile Feature