Sunday, October 29, 2023 at 1pm!

Penny Berens, Fibre Artist and SOFAAR Member

Penny Berens was born in Bournemouth, England. She emigrated to Montreal’s West Island with her husband and two baby boys on January 1st, 1975 in a snowstorm of course!
Their third son also arrived in a heavy March snowstorm a few years later. From Montreal the family moved to Newmarket, Ontario where Penny was introduced to quilting and machine embroidery. Since retiring in 2007, Penny and her husband, Richard, have made their home in Granville Beach.

Penny has a City & Guilds diploma in Embroidery & Design but her education in stitch started much sooner at the age of four under the loving guidance of her mother and two grandmothers.

Penny’s work has been shown in solo and group shows across Canada and internationally. Teaching and encouraging others to follow their own stitching path has been an important part of Penny’s creative life. She shares her process and sources of inspiration on her blog Tanglewood Threads.

Her work has evolved over the years but since arriving in Nova Scotia she has returned to her roots of hand embroidery. Penny finds her inspiration on her early morning walks in all kinds of weather with two dogs. She shares her love of being in nature with it’s changing patterns and seasons in her extensively stitched wall hangings.

In recent years she has been working with her friend and fellow artist Judy Martin from Manitoulin Island and a young curator, Miranda Bouchard, on their show “In the Middle of the World”. This show has been shown twice in Ontario and will be coming to ARCAC in September next year. The three of them have recently published a book about their work for the show.

Penny’s presentation will lead you from her childhood embroideries through quilts, machine embroidery and finally back hand embroidery again.

SOFAAR is very pleased to present a trunk show by Penny Berens on Oct 29^th, 1pm at the Clementsport Legion. Admission is $10 for members/ $20 for non members. Refreshments will be available. Join us for this wonderful opportunity to learn about Penny’s process and approach to art-making!