Update January 2026
Ruth’s work has been selected for the curated ‘Taranaki Collection 2026′
Ruth is inspired by the landscape of Aotearoa, our languages – both te reo Māori and English and current issues.
Very active in a variety of fibre practices Ruth has created large quilts as well as more intimate mixed media works. Recently her art quilt ‘Reflections of Taranaki’ has been purchased at Te Matariki at The Waitara Artists Cooperative exhibition. The words of the late Sir Paul Reeves are an integral part of this art piece:
The history of Taranaki is a history of struggle, patience and hope. But over it all rises the mountain, a promise of unity.
Ruth has been exploring fabric collage and natural dyeing and printing processes as preparation for this Solo Exhibition so the gallery will be filled with wonderful new works reflective of this learning journey.
The ‘Earthwise’ exhibition is about landforms and the soil formed at the surface of the land where living things and the rocks of the Earth’s crust meet and mix. For these works Ruth uses eco dying, rusting and painting with earth pigments to bring ‘Earthwise’ to life. Painting on linen using earth pigments mixed with soya milk uses sustainable art materials and practices and the addition of stitch adds additional impact.
Ruth Nicholas is a textile artist whose work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. She grew up in Taranaki, lived here for many years and returns regularly from Upper Hutt. She will be at the gallery each Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon during March and looks forward to chatting with visitors about her art.
A Gallery Gathering will be held on Sunday 1st March between 1pm and 3pm. At this gathering, Ruth will talk about her art and the individual pieces in the exhibition.