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©Anita Carnell
©Anita Carnell
©Anita Carnell
©Anita Carnell
©Simon Bratt

Anita Carnell

  • Leather gilder
  • King's Lynn, United Kingdom
  • Rising Star
Anita Carnell Leather gilder
©Anita Carnell

Leather embroidery that touches the soul

  • • Anita’s artwork is both luxurious and eco-friendly
  • • She combines traditional craftsmanship with modern design
  • • Her creations pay homage to the timeless art of hand stitching

Anita Carnell spent many years teaching art and working as an antique dealer with her husband before exploring the meaning of 'craft' and 'creativity' through her own artwork. After reaching the peak of her first professional career, she went back to school, earning an MA as a Designer Maker from the University of the Arts London. “When I combined my industry knowledge and university education,” she explains, “it enabled me to create unusual combinations of gilded wires on lamb hide and organic cactus leather using historical embroidery techniques that I learned from the Royal School of Needlework." Anita's distinctive designs reflect the depth of her thoughtful approach: "Each stitch is important in the process of making. What may look simple is actually the product of deep and complex thought.”

Read the full interview

Works

  • ©Anita Carnell
  • ©Anita Carnell
  • ©Anita Carnell
  • ©Simon Bratt
  • ©Simon Bratt
Photo: ©Anita Carnell
Sea Change

In this panel, Anita Carnell captures the moment in a single splash of 22-carat gold leaf across a lambskin canvas. The hand-stitched, gilded wires emphasise the spirit of the moment, presented in a dark wood sapele tray frame.

Photo: ©Anita Carnell
Revealing Something New

To give a touch of elegance to the large, organic shape of the lamb hide, Anita Carnell meticulously stitched it in gilded wires. The interaction of light and shadow on the textured surface evokes a calming atmosphere, giving viewers a sense of serenity.

Photo: ©Anita Carnell
Cycle of Time

This large wall art is a hand-stitched, intricate thread-work with the use of gold paper to produce a visual effect that gives depth and texture. The lamb's hide flaws serve to remind us of time's unavoidable passage, whilst highlighting the beauty that can be found even in imperfections.

Photo: ©Simon Bratt
Fawn Tree Branch

The minute details of the gilded wires and the captivating texture of the hand-stitched cactus leather give Anita Carnell’s artwork depth. The three-dimensional representation of the falling leaves breathes life and a sense of motion into the panel. The work is finished in a black walnut profile with a low-reflective glass.

Photo: ©Simon Bratt
Falling Leaves

A unique combination of eco-friendly materials and craftsmanship creates a stunning visual representation of nature's beauty within a contemporary design. Golden threads add a touch of elegance to the overall aesthetic of this wall panel.

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