Tanya Fryer

I am Tanya Fryer, a British multidisciplinary artist and textile designer. With a background in textile design and a deep connection to the beauty of nature, my work is a blend of fine art and fashion, using expressive painting and hand embroidery to revive vintage and up-cycled clothing as unique, one-of-a-kind pieces. I am passionate about conscious consumerism and slow fashion, and my creations aim to inspire sustainability, self-expression, and individuality.

Q&A

Artist Statement

Tanya Fryer is a British multidisciplinary artist and graduate of Bath School of Art (UK, 2015). Growing up in Cornwall, the unruly English countryside shaped her understanding of beauty.Curious about the hidden stories in the landscape, she taught herself to express creativity through textiles and topographical studies. These aspects continue to form the foundation of Tanya’s work, intertwining poetry, visual metaphors for emotion, and first-hand observation.

After relocating to Lisbon for a closer connection to the ocean, the work gained poignancy as her clarity and vision sharpened.

She translates her written work about internal human narratives into visual art by manipulating materials to depict tension and release.

The collection extends into fashion design. She focuses on sustainability by reviving vintage and up-cycled clothes to use as her canvas. Using hand embroidery and painting techniques, her pieces are one-of-a-kind.

What craft do you work with?

I have been embroidering for as long as I can remember, with my Brtish grandmother and Ukrainian aunt teaching me how to make dresses for my dolls from a very young age.

What inspires you to work with this craft?

I romanticise the stories of clothes that have already lived another life. I find inspiration in this and colour, working in response to each piece of clothing.

How do you start your creative process?

I write poetry which inspires imagery in my head, I collect this into sketchbooks and develop the ideas onto fabric with hand embroidery.

How would you best describe your workspace and what tools could you not do without?

Needle and thread, and magic tape.

Are there new techniques you would like to try?

I would like to try ceramics and oil painting.

What have you learnt or the best advice you have received that you would like to share with fellow crafters?

Take care of your wrists.