~Art as a Meditative Act~ Textile Art from COMMON THREAD: Quiet Rhythms of Land and Lineage
I am very pleased to announce my upcoming solo retrospective at Zach Gallery in Easton, MD.
In the weeks leading up to the show opening I thought I would share details on the 3 bodies of work in the show. This week’s focus is my Healing Sutras series of meticulously hand-stitched textiles.
All works shown are available for purchase through Zach Gallery. Please send me an email with your interest and I will gladly put you in contact with the gallery director ~ erindanielsart@gmail.com .
COMMON THREAD: Quiet Rhythms of Land and Lineage
Though distinct in medium and visual language, these three bodies of works follow a common thread of devotion to the quiet rhythms of land and lineage. Hand-stitched textiles, atmospheric paintings, and exquisitely detailed botanicals each emerge from slow, deliberate acts of making that resist urgency and invite contemplation.
Together these works speak to art as a meditative act, one that gently stitches past to present, inner life to outer landscape.
“Healing Sutras: The Shadow”
To stitch; a thread or line that holds things together – this is the literal translation of the ancient Sanskrit word ‘sutra’.
In the studio…Meditative hand stitching binds together layers of material and meaning, creating a landscape from vintage textiles and deconstructed vintage garments.
Many of the textiles and garments I incorporate in my work are passed down through my family and serve as the ideal canvas for exploring ideas of legacy, lineage, and a sense of place.
Handstitching detail reminiscent of topographic lines. Details feature my son’s antique Christening gown layered over a fragment of a dress handed down from my great, great grandmother.
All of my artwork is rooted in a detailed observation of Nature.
In my “Healing Sutras” series of hand-stitched textiles, layers of memory and material bound together create a landscape of light and shadow. Depressions and contours are picked out in stitch, tracking an interior landscape made outwardly visible and visceral. Pleats and patterns create a rippling undercurrent beneath a surface of white; barely suppressed behind the stillness. Borrowing from textile traditions such as whole cloth quilting, Ayrshire whitework, and the Irish linen trade in the North of Ireland, the Healing Sutras incorporate vintage textiles, deconstructed vintage garments (many handed down through the women in my family), and hand stitching. These materials and techniques, imbued with a history of their own, allow me to explore ideas of lineage, legacy, and what it means to truly “belong” to a place.
Inspiration flows from many sources, but I would not be the artist I am without the women who came before me. Stitching is in my DNA: a mother and aunt whose quilts are exquisitely hand stitched, a grandmother who studied Fashion in college and was the first to recognize and encourage my talent at a very young age, great-grandmothers who were hat trimmers, seamstresses, and dressmakers, who brought their quiet talents to the US from various points in the UK - laying down roots for my future creative pursuits.
I create to find connection to these people and places.
My Nana, a talented artist in her own right, enjoying the tranquility of a pond in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey.
Vintage linens awaiting inspiration.
My work borrows from textile traditions such as whole cloth quilting, Ayrshire whitework, and the Irish linen trade in the North of Ireland. Stitching is in my DNA.
Erin Daniels. “Healing Sutra: The Shadow 4”
22x30. Hand Stitching, Vintage Textiles. 2025
Erin Daniels’ hand-stitched textiles, atmospheric paintings, and exquisitely detailed botanicals emerge from slow, deliberate acts of making that resist urgency and invite contemplation.
Opening Reception ~ Saturday, March 7, 2026. 4 – 6 PM
Exhibition on view March 7 – April 18, 2026
Zach Gallery 17 S. Washington Street, Easton MD
If you are unable to attend the opening but would like to meet me for a tour of the exhibit please do get in touch ~ I look forward to seeing you there.
