Studio H Canada International Artists Residencies

Textiles

Residency Dates: August 2025

Studio H Canada is thrilled to welcome Leslie Crabtree Savage, a textile artist from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Leslie will be working on large-scale cyanotype prints and quilt projects in the studio and we are excited to see these works progress!

As a child in a family of artists I absorbed the idea that creating objects of use or beauty or both was the most valuable way to live a life. Yet my family wanted for me a different education, one in literature, philosophy and more, so I came to an arts practice late in life, and until recently untutored,

As a painter I have always loved Prussian Blue, and discovering cyanotype printmaking has reinforced this affinity. Although I still paint and drawing remains integral to my practice, my work currently focuses on cyanotype printmaking on cotton.

Working in textile art honours the labour over centuries of women, men and children whose hands have driven of many human adventures. Linen canvas sails powered seagoing vessels for centuries; woven belts were mainstay of the industrial revolution; and the current and environmentally dangerous proliferation of consumer fashion items are a seemingly unavoidable trope—and all rely on woven threads. Like many women of the 20^th century, I learned from other women including my mother the value and joy of mending, cutting, and sewing garments, curtains, slipcovers, toys, bedding, rugs.

The experience of sailing in small boats on the Salish Sea was life-changing  and reinforced my belief that all of life on our beautiful Blue Planet began in the oceans—and that it is up to us to preserve the health of our seas. My current work, linking humanity to the origins of life in the oceans through a focus on mythology moves towards the profound connection between humanity and its beginnings. Quilting techniques mirror the layering of life forms over millennia; stitching by hand replicates the rhythm of tides, of wave action, of the push and pull of the moon on water. This three-dimensional tactile work grounded in a conceptual framework is a profoundly satisfying antidote to the algorithmic distancing that now dominates much of daily life.

About the Artist

Leslie Crabtree Savage is a visual artist who has worked as a writer, journalist, college instructor, and designer. She lives in Toronto after many moves across the country and the globe. Leslie has lived and worked in Montreal; Medellin and Cali, Colombia; Edmonton, Alberta;Vancouver, British Columbia; Mechref Lebanon; Yan Jiao, China; and Bowen Island, B.C.

Now working as a visual artist focussed on textile art, Leslie lives in Toronto, Canada.

You can learn more about Leslie on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lesliesavage.artist

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The next artists joining Studio H Canada International Residency are Della Orrey (music/sound) from Toronto, Ontario, and Cricket Jergens (textiles) from Portland, Oregon, USA . Stay Tuned for more information about these artists.

Artists of all media and disciplines are welcome to apply to Studio H Canada International Art Residency – please check out the link here to apply.

Check out previous posts about artists here.