Adrienna Matzeg: The Scenic Route

Adrienna Matzeg is at the creative crossroads of photography and textiles, where the narrative power of both mediums intersects. Through her punch needle embroidery compositions, she explores the way we recall memories, often drawing on themes of nostalgia. By simplifying her subject matter into bold colours, shapes, and fragments, Matzeg delves into how our memories of travel are formed, and how we tie them to the souvenirs collected along the way.

Petiscos, 2024

Her latest collection, The Scenic Route, encapsulates the essence of summer road trips through Canada’s East Coast. Using her own travel photography as a springboard, Matzeg transforms fleeting moments into richly textured textile compositions. For her, it’s about capturing and preserving the emotional texture of a place, not just the landscape.

Matzeg’s work is rooted in both analog and digital processes, where the digital realm meets the tactile, hands-on nature of textiles - from planning compositions in Illustrator to selecting the perfect blend of colours, ensuring each piece holds the essence of its inspiration.

Lake Como (detail), 2020

Nostalgia, warmth, and the subtle impermanence of summer memories are imbued into her meticulous process, inviting us to pause and reflect on how we remember places, and the feeling of being there.

We caught up with Adrienna in our 5 Minutes with a Friend series, to find about her love for the medium of textiles:

Adrienna at work in her studio.

Adrienna, what is your first memory of a textile?

My first memory of a textile was a pastel pink baby blanket. It was soft fleece, with a satin border edge. I took it everywhere with me as a toddler. I haven’t thought about that blanket in years...

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Image Credits:

Lead Image: Left- The Afterglow, 2024, Right - Catch of the Day, 2024.

All Images courtesy of Adrienna Matzeg