Deborah Saunders – Artist Profile
Narrawong fibre and textile artist Deborah Saunders has developed her arts practice using upcycled and found objects to create her large sculptural pieces with recycled t-shirts being her preferred medium.
Deborah’s use of recycled textiles is driven by the knowledge of the tonnes of textile waste dumped in our landfills on a daily basis. ” It’s my way of helping”.
Deborah, with her Diploma in Visual Arts and many years of working in community development she has passed her knowledge of textiles and fibre art through regular workshops and classes held at South West Alternative Medium Project (SWAMP). SWAMP is an Indigenous managed volunteer community arts organisation she co-founded in 2008 and has worked closely with local Indigenous artists to develop their own arts practices.
Deborah has been the lead artist in two major sculptural installations. The Nine Knitted Narrabans for the Upwelling Festival Portland in 2014 and the Woven Forest Whale Sanctuary as part of Oceanarium – Fun 4 Kids in 2016. Deborah’s work was profiled in ‘Embellish’ textile magazine issue 40 December 2019.
A recipient of a Regional Arts Victoria professional development grant Deborah travelled to the Cook Islands to participate in workshops to learn the art of Ti Vae Vae making. Traditional Cook Island quilt making. In 2014 Deborah held her Island Dreams exhibition in the Portland Art Gallery highlighting her many quilts all sewn by hand.
In January 2020 Deborah travelled to Karachi Pakistan to hold textile workshops with local Muslim women. Staying with a local family she was able to immerse herself into the local community.
Deborah is the Project Manager of the newly opened Two Rivers Gallery Tyrendarra. | 
