WORKS FROM SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2026
Oil on canvas / Fabric, pins
5 x 3 feet (each) /
2025, 2026
for “ALT ART”, MO_space
Fabric and drapery have been staple motifs in artists’ explorations of craft in painting because they hold their own lush textures, incidental lines, folds, and patterns when presented visually. Their palpable softness and malleability seem to be inherently conveyed even though they are rendered as images—a quality that instantly demonstrates the material’s affinity with both appearance and touch.
Nicole Tee raises the stakes in presenting these characteristics by letting fabric take center stage in her series of paintings. Not only do they serve as the main subjects, but they also constitute the entire process for achieving the image. Everything in her work is achieved through her engagement with textiles, from start to finish. She does not only paint fabric, but also arranges and sews it into collages to arrive at new compositions that are entirely inspired by the material. She describes these fabric collages as compositions using “offcuts” from her own dressmaking projects, “meticulously organized by color and print.” As a dressmaker herself, she understands the combination of patterns, and that the process of selection is not entirely different from the decisions a painter makes when dealing with pigment and canvas.
The resulting paintings are not just a tribute to the sensibilities of a dressmaker, but also to artists who value the virtue of patience. Mindfulness, concentration, and imagination are just some of the characteristics shared by both painters and those who work with textiles. Nicole Tee understands this very well, and with every push and pull of the needle, or every stroke of the brush, she treats these actions as an intentional “slowing down” of creation, while also allowing for genuine play and enjoyment.
Coming full circle to highlight the similarities between fabric and painting, she reconnects the artwork to its origin by displaying rectangular swatches—the source of the original fabrics—presented alongside their corresponding paintings.
— CLJ
Thread on canvas
4 x 6 inches (each)
2025
for “Wish You Were Here”, West Gallery
photos courtesy of West Gallery