Latest collaboration: Kim's artwork The Attack of the Gulls was exhibited as part of the 2025 Shape Open exhibition Rights Cuts Action

Artist statement: Kim Waine-Thomas is a profoundly Deaf craft artist with a passion for freehand embroidered sculpture and art, particularly exploring the interplay between her creations and the shadows they cast. Her creative journey began in the early 1980s, following a summer spent designing headdresses for a theatrical production of Lysistrata at Theatre Gwynedd. This experience led her to study theatrical hair and make-up at the London College of Fashion. However, Kim faced persistent barriers in both education and the industry, due to her deafness.

Kim later earned a BSc in Psychology and worked in the tech sector, yet her creative spirit never faded. She continued to explore artistic projects whenever she could, with her artistic voice re-emerging while her children were young through painting school murals and designing theatrical backdrops.

More recently after a stint of making small crafts, Kim shifted her focus to freehand machine embroidered sculpture, creating commissioned works that reflect her evolving style. Her practice is deeply influenced by nature, environmental responsibility, and her lived experience as a Deaf person. Through each stitch, Kim aims to share a story, one rooted in resilience, identity, and connection.

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