Between Thread and Thought: The Art I Live and Breathe
Somewhere between the stencils of school days and the salvaged threads on my studio floor, a quiet obsession took root, the need to create, to stitch stories, and to hold beauty in things others might pass by.
My name is Christina Drennan. I’m a visual artist based in Kilkenny, Ireland.
While many know me through ‘Irish Handmade’, my journey goes deeper than craft markets or workshops. What I create today is the result of a lifetime of looking at colour at texture and at the quiet poetry found in threadbare things.
I studied Fine Art in 2013 and Fashion & Design in 2019. But truthfully, my art began long before that, in a secondary school classroom with Mrs. Roche, where I first printed, painted, stitched and explored the boundless possibilities of textiles. I have never looked back.
What I Create
Today, my work ranges from handwoven wall pieces and abstract textile art to free-motion embroidery and slow-stitched compositions. I lean into texture and instinct, allowing the thread to guide the story. Much of my work is mounted in reclaimed frames or suspended from treated wood, chosen as carefully as the fibres themselves.
Some pieces are quiet and meditative. Others are vivid and wild, echoing the unpredictable beauty of the Irish landscape that surrounds me. I often blend fine art and craft, not to blur the lines but to show that meaning can live in both.
My Materials, My Ethos
I work with circular design principles, using waste fabrics and offcuts, some from my own making, others sourced from businesses who share a vision of sustainability.
A good deal of these fabrics are gifted or found; some are synthetic, some natural. But all are used with intention. I don’t believe in perfection, I believe in process, purpose, and beauty that doesn’t harm the world we live in.
The materials may not always be “pure,” but the work is. Each piece is deliberate, honest, and shaped by the textures of life as I live it.
Beyond the Studio
Alongside my own practice, I share what I know through workshops in weaving, embroidery and slow stitching, I might start getting into lino printing again, it has been a while, watch this little space.
These spaces are never just about technique, they’re about connection. I’ve taught in libraries, festivals, and creative hubs, and with every session I learn something new too.
In 2024, I launched Underestimated, a virtual exhibition exploring the quiet potential in leftover fibres, giving new life to thread, jute, and fabric that once seemed bound for the bin. It’s this kind of storytelling through material that fuels my work, art that speaks without shouting. This collection was on show in the Waterford City Library for the month of February and is now on show at The Old Market House, Dungarvan.
Why I Write
This blog is a space I’ve long wanted, a place to share the why behind what I do. The struggles and the sparks. The making and the meaning. Whether you’re a fellow maker, a collector, a gallery, or someone who loves stories woven in cloth, I’m glad you’re here.
And I couldn’t do any of this without thanking God, for the breath in my lungs, the ability to create, and the quiet strength that carries me forward each day. My art is an offering, shaped not only by thread and fabric but by grace and gratitude.
Until next time, massive hugs,
Christina xxx
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