Lesley Turner
Victoria, BC
Lesley Turner has a full time art practice and exhibits across Canada, and the USA. She stitches textiles by hand and machine.
Message
She is a textile artist whose work grows from a lifelong relationship with trees and forests. Years ago, an Indonesian traditional healer told her to always live surrounded by trees. She dismissed the advice at the time. Only later did she understand its truth.
Born in the temperate rainforest mountains of Aotearoa/New Zealand, she spent her early childhood immersed in dense forest. Her life continued to unfold in places shaped by trees, suggesting a quiet pull long before she recognised it. She first studied the land and trained as a teacher. Years of travel followed, along with homes in forested regions around the world, including tropical Pacific islands, the Amazon rainforest, and Southeast Asia.
When she settled on Vancouver Island, Canada, in the Pacific Northwest rainforest, the healer’s words returned. The sense of belonging was immediate. Childhood experiences had shaped a deep sensitivity to forested landscapes and their presence.
Further study in stitching, knitting, and textile history revealed a lineage broader and older than conventional art history. Gradually, her focus narrowed to the fragile future of the world’s remaining forests.
She works primarily with a threaded needle, using cloth as her language. Slow, tactile processes and skills inherited through her maternal line connect her to shared human histories of making. For her, stitched fabric is a way of speaking.
Her work now reflects a widening view of trees, land, and water as Earth Mother, guiding new explorations rooted in care, connection, and respect for the living world.
Statement
My work reflects on the past, is grounded in the present, and looks toward the future. It grows from my personal history and my deep, lifelong connection to trees.
Many of my ancestors emigrated and settled in their new homes by clearing forests. That inheritance leaves me with a strong sense of responsibility for the forests that remain. Using my training in geography and ongoing learning from current scientific research, I create visual stories to raise awareness of the global loss of forests, with a focus on the Pacific Northwest temperate rainforest where I live. Awareness is the first step toward change. My visual stories raise awareness.
When working with tree-based themes, my work feels grounded, honest, and true to my experience.
I have a strong affinity for the threaded needle, a knowledge of the long, deep history of textiles, and a clear understanding of the role textiles play in daily life. I work with recycled materials that have had previous lives, including domestic linens and worn clothing. I acknowledge the anonymous makers whose skill and labour are already present in these textiles, and I add another layer of meaning and story.
At its broadest level, my work speaks to the relationship between humans and the natural world. The work comes from my personal relationship with the trees I live with and grows from a shared conversation with other environmental artists and scientists who are responding to the same urgent questions.