Small Things is an exhibition of quilts by artist Katie Whitford.ned as a printmaker, Katie began working with textiles in 2023, approaching fabric as an extension Trai of her drawing practice. Using layered textiles sourced from clothing offcuts, along with appliqué and hand stitching, she creates intimate compositions that gently reflect the objects, moments, and quiet details that shape everyday life. Texture, colour, and thread bring these forms to life, transforming familiar domestic items into reflective forms shaped by memory and use. This new collection of smaller works encourages close looking, drawing attention to the beauty and significance of the overlooked. Retaining the immediacy of drawing while embracing the warmth and physical presence of fabric, the works in Small Things continue Katie's ongoing exploration of domestic space, memory, and longing, inviting viewers to slow down, look closely, and appreciate the small things we live alongside.
Bio:
Katie Whitford (b. 1995) is a visual artist based in Bristol, UK, where she works from Solis Studio. Working across drawing, printmaking and textiles, her practice explores the emotional lives of everyday objects and domestic spaces through slow, layered processes of making.
Drawing forms the foundation of her work. Sketchbooks become places to gather observations from daily life alongside references from films, books, museums and travel. These collected fragments are reassembled into richly textured compositions that exist somewhere between memory and imagination, creating interiors that feel familiar while remaining intentionally open.
Whether working in print or fabric, Katie constructs images through accumulation. Printmaking allows forms to emerge through successive layers of ink, while quilting builds compositions piece by piece through stitched fabric. Though materially distinct, both processes share an interest in repetition, patience and close attention. They reflect the ways that homes themselves are formed over time through care, use and the gradual collection of ordinary things.
Katie completed an MA in Multidisciplinary Printmaking at the University of the West of England in 2023, following The Drawing Year postgraduate scholarship at the Royal Drawing School, London. She previously studied Fine Art at Goldsmiths, University of London. Her work has been exhibited at Bankside Gallery, Christie's, Mall Galleries and the Royal West of England Academy, and is held in the Royal Collection and private collections throughout the UK, Ireland, France, Italy and North America.