Anna Wright Textile Art: A Retrospective of Joyous Colour
- Robert Polli
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 11 hours ago
Last year, the historic Citadel in Gozo played host to a breathtaking display of textile art, as Anna Wright presented her inaugural exhibition, "Joyous Colour." For many visitors, stepping into the ancient stone building filled with Anna's vibrant quilts was an unforgettable experience. As Anna herself articulated, her hope was for guests to "go, 'Wow!' because of the color in the fabrics. And quite a lot of them do."
Anna Wright, a textile artist based in Gozo, Malta, poured a year of dedication into creating the pieces for this collection. Her works are a testament to the transformative power of fabric, elevating quilting from a traditional craft to a dynamic art form. "I wanted to find an adjective that also expressed my own joy in working with such beautiful colors," Anna reflected on her choice of title, a sentiment palpable in every stitch.
The Mediterranean Muse
The setting for "Joyous Colour" was as inspiring as the art itself. The Citadel, one of Gozo's oldest and most iconic buildings, provided a unique backdrop for Anna's textile landscapes, flower vases, and intricate trees. Anna draws profound inspiration from her surroundings: "I'm very inspired by the beautifulby beautiful Mediterranean sea and countryside," she shared. Her quilts capture the essence of Gozo, from its azure waters to its sun-drenched flora, using "a range of objects in different colorways to construct these pictures and represent the incredible colors of Gozo in a whole range of different artworks."
The Alchemy of Machine-Stitched Art
Anna's artistic process is a meticulous dance between vibrant fabrics and the precision of her sewing machine. "None of this work is done by hand. It's all done by machine," she emphasized. Her approach transcends simple fabric piecing, evolving into a method of "creating pictures and to use the fabrics to represent different aspects of the natural world."
Her technique involves carefully selecting and layering fabrics, often using a glue pen for temporary placement before permanently securing them. "I just choose color and lay it down bit by bit... making sure there aren't any gaps and secure it down," she explained. The magic truly happens at the sewing machine, where a specialized blanket stitch transforms raw edges into textured surfaces. This stitch "not only holds the fabric down but it stops the fabric from fraying and it provides texture because there's batting underneath." The interplay of stitched and unstitched areas creates a subtle three-dimensionality, giving her landscapes a cloud-like sky or a wave-like sea.
Iconic Motifs in Anna Wright Textile Art
Among the standout pieces were Anna's "Tree of Life" quilts. For these, she meticulously cuts and arranges leaves from a diverse collection of fabrics, each one thickened with batting to create a raised effect. "I went through my fabrics and cut out lots of different colours. And I used a batting to thicken them up... and arranged the leaves so that the colors stood out," she described, highlighting the visual impact of these sculptural textile trees.
Her "Vases of Flowers" were another highlight, celebrated for their "absolutely glorious spread" of colour and texture. Anna masterfully employs "fussy cutting" – carefully extracting specific floral motifs from fabrics by designers like Philip Jacobs – and then mounting and quilting them. This technique, combined with batting, "gives them a huge amount of texture and depth."
A Palette from the Kaffe Fassett Collective
The brilliance of Anna's work owes much to her chosen materials: the exquisite fabrics from the Kaffe Fassett Collective, including designs by Kaffe Fassett, Philip Jacobs, and Brandon Mably. "They provide the inspiration for my work. I love working with their fabrics," Anna stated. Philip Jacobs' "glorious flowers in different colourways" are particularly suited for her vases, allowing her to craft intricate bouquets that burst with life.
Bringing Joy Through Colour
As the "Joyous Colour" exhibition concluded its run in Gozo, it left a lasting impression. Anna's aim was simple yet profound: "I want to bring joy to people and I want people to be rewarded by the beautiful colours." Her work, characterized by its innovative use of machine quilting and her deep appreciation for vibrant textiles, achieved just that. The tactile quality of her pieces, where "the background is pushed back by the quilting and you get this sense of texture in the picture," invites viewers to engage with the art on multiple sensory levels.
Though the Gozo exhibition has passed, the spirit of "Joyous Colour" continues to resonate, celebrating Anna Wright's unique vision and her ability to transform fabric into stunning narratives of beauty and inspiration.
Instagram: @annawrightgozo
Bluesky: @annagozo
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