Renee Lortie

Textile Artist Renee Lortie uses weaving and punch needle to create colourful, one-of-a-kind contemporary tapestries made out of natural fibres. Working out of her studio located in South Bay, Renee creates intuitively by taking inspiration from the natural materials she uses. Having moved from representational landscapes to more abstract work, she enjoys pushing the boundaries of her chosen medium and working with these old world crafting techniques in unconventional ways.

For the month of January, Renee is taking over the County Arts Lab for a month-long residency with fellow textile artists Bear Epp and Bay Woodyard. For their residency, the artists invite the community to “Pull Up A Chair” on Sundays in January from 1-3 PM to join them in the studio at the County Arts Lab. Free to attend, all artists and makers are welcome to bring their work and meet the community.

Always one to share her joy of punch needle and weaving with others, Renee is hosting a two-day Intro to Contemporary Tapestry Weaving workshop at the County Arts Lab in February (with very limited spots left!). She also offers Punch Parties – for those who may be curious about punch needle, Renee will come to your home to host the workshop, allowing for groups to work at a relaxed pace to learn all about this technique.

With so much on the go, we were happy to catch up with Renee to learn more about her recent projects, inspirations, and help from friends!

Tell us about any artistic projects you have going on this upcoming month that you’d like people to know about:

Along with textile artists Bear Epp and Bay Woodyard, I am beyond excited to have been awarded the County Arts Artist Residency for January 2025. Together we have some exciting plans to further develop our work and connect with our beloved community through textile art making and collaboration.

What have you worked on recently that has you excited?

This fall marked the launch of a new functional art project for me, where I was exhibiting my handmade punch needle pillows at various holiday markets. The response was overwhelmingly positive! It’s always such a lift to be able to watch people’s face light up when they experience your work.

Where in the County do you find the most creative inspiration?

This fall I had the honour of being a vendor at the pop-up “Get Cozy”. The entire show was comprised of textile artists from the County and other areas. The work was mesmerizing and the opportunity to see such a wide variety of textile work was very inspiring!

Which tools or resources have helped you the most in your artistic career?

My friend Peter Blendell really got me off the ground with my work. He built me my extra large frames and stand for weaving and punch needle, and without those, I would not have been able to move forward. Very grateful for his help and others who have encouraged me to show and share my work.