Cas Holmes is an artist and writer of Romani descent who works from her studio in Kent. She is interested in the liminal, ‘in between’ spaces connecting land, people and place. Trained in fine art, her work combines mixed media with found materials and stitch and is best described as ‘painting with cloth’. The history and familiarity of worn cotton, linen and paper mark the passing of time informing the narratives contained within the work.
For every artist, there is the what – what they make – and there is the why – the reason they are compelled to make. And then there is the place where these two converge to make art. Cas Holmes is fascinated by these zones of convergence in the making of art as well as in the concrete world that inspires it. Her fascination is reflected in her work, both in its subject matter, which explores the intersections of the spaces life inhabits: the green spaces in urban areas, the verges of highways, the trees in a city park; and in its techniques of joining cloth and paper. Everything she uses – the materials, the substrate, the techniques – are in service to her vision. ‘It’s neither material driven nor idea driven,’ she says. She keeps a sketchbook, but she doesn’t sit down with an idea firmly in mind and try to make it concrete. Rather, she follows an internal thread that weaves its way from piece to piece so the whole body of work is connected subliminally about the idea.
Ricë Freeman-Zachery
After receiving a fine arts degree at Maidstone College of Art (UCA) further studies in textile and paper arts in Japan (funded by the Churchill Fellowship and The Japan Foundation) followed by research in India, have led to her adaptation of techniques and distinctive layering of found paper and cloth with paste, paint, and stitch as a means to create textile artworks from an intimate scale to installation works Her processesare reflected in her publications for Batsford Books which include Soulful Stitch, co-authored with Deena Beverley (2024), Embroidering the Everyday (2021) and Textile Landscape (2018)
Commissions include projects with the Romani Cultural and Arts Company and Arts Council, Wales. for the ground breaking ‘Gypsy Maker” exhibition. Her solo exhibition and installation The Shipping Forecast commissioned by Anna3 toured Antwerp and the four nations of the UK prior to it’s exhibition at the Knitting and Stitching Show, London in 2024. . It was recently exhibited on LV21 at the Historic Dockyard Chatham marking 100 years of the first broadcast of the Shipping Forecast on BBC Radio.
Cas Holmes Wayside Weeds (left) Survival Blanket Daniel Baker (right), Gypsy Maker, Romani Cultural and Arts Company
Current news is posted on her blog
Cas is an exhibiting member of Art Textiles Made in Britain a member of Axisweb, and the Embroiderers Guild UK. .Please use the contact form on this site for further information.
Interviews and articles
Interview with Nathalie Banaigs curator of Storytellers
Making through the Mess with Cas Holmes and Clarissa Callesen .Explore how creativity becomes a lifeline in times of uncertainty (PLUS BONUS 10-page reflection journal to help nurture your creativity in challenging times) in this Friday Feature Artist discussion with Fibre Arts Takes Two
Artist Talk – Textile artist Cas Holmes in conversation with Rob Smith about my work “Memory”, featured in the Storytellers exhibition curated by Nathalie Banaigs. See more interviews by other artists in the exhibition on Studio Five.
A walk around my home and sneak peak into my studio and sketchbooks with Luana Rubin of Equilter
For an insight into her working processes see the video interview at Inspired to Create with Jennifer Steck article Found Objects in Textile Art with Jane Axell on Textileartist .
Feature artist in January/February issue of Embroidery Magazine where I discuss how my creative practice has altered following a major life change.
NeedleXChange – Conversations on the Art of Thread interview with Jamie Chalmers on the Value of Uncertainty
Friday Feature Artist interview by Angela Truscott of Fibre Arts Take Two
Everyday life is a perennial source of imagery and narrative for the camera constantly clicking away in Cas’s mind’s eye. A magpie in the truest sense, she sees all, considers deeply, saves much, uses carefully. Her output is prolific and profound. In her hands, the prosaic is made poetic. (Deena Beverley extract from the forward to Embroidering the Everyday
Introduction to my work in A Stitch in Time interview with the School of Stitched Textiles. Full podcast and accompanying transcript. via this link or simply enjoy some of the images below
Podcasts by Stitchery Stories and Arnold Attic talk about working in the community and at home.
All at Sea:Embroidery Magazine Nov-Dec 2022
Further press details can be found here.
Cas Holmes is a tutor at the prestigious West Dean College. You can read her biography on Axisweb.
For all enquiries regarding commissions, projects or to arrange a visit to Cas Holmes’ studio please use the contact form on this website.
Copyright Cas Holmes all rights protect
cas holmes 
You must be logged in to post a comment.