Martine Apaolaza

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Multi-fiber art
2024
Artist's country: France

After years of diverse experience in textiles, clothing and patchwork, and a few essential classes, Martine has been working almost exclusively by hand for the past thirty years. Most of her work is in appliqué, including reverse appliqué, which reinforces the perspective of her work.

She also adds appliquéd or embroidered characters, often accompanied by a slogan in the style of old-fashioned ads. Paris inspires her a great deal, but so do the provinces and the countryside.

Architecture plays an important role in her landscapes, and it’s the combination of fabric appliqués and embroidery that attracts her. Old town districts, regional houses and the countryside are a mine of inspiration for her. She has exhibited extensively in her home region (Franche-Comté), and numerous articles in the press have helped to make her a household name.

In 2011, the European Patchwork Meeting opened its doors to her for the first time in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, which was a great success and so gratifying for her. Other magical and renowned venues followed, such as PRAGUE PATCHWORK MEETING or the FESTIVAL OF QUILTS in BIRMINGHAM and many others.

It is with great pleasure that she returns to exhibit at the European Patchwork Meeting in 2024.

My textile landscapes - Urban & Country

Lièpvre

Her favorite theme is houses in all their forms: regional, rural, urban, often old or typical, stylized to add a naive touch that she particularly appreciates. She works almost exclusively by hand, with the occasional exception of contour finishing, and uses mostly cottons and linens, either new or salvaged from used clothing. What characterizes her works is the combination of fabric appliqué, which she has mastered perfectly after years of practice, and embroidered details that bring her paintings to life, constituting her artistic signature.

In her exhibition, she offers a wide variety of colors and architectural universes, using appliqué techniques ranging from the most traditional to the most modern, such as reverse appliqué, which adds relief and perspective to her textile works, embroidery being equally essential. The challenge she increasingly sets herself is to create with the materials at her disposal, making the most of her stock of fabrics and threads of all kinds.

Her approach aims to save resources, which is good for the planet, brings coherence to her work and broadens her creative potential, pushing her to surpass herself with more limited means, a quest that delights and motivates her.