Fellow’s Profile
Fellow’s Profile
The history and decorative application of Japanese papermaking
My training is in fine art (painting and photography). I work between the disciplines – painting and mixed-media textiles. I am a writer and an author – my most recent publications are Embroidering the Everyday and Textile Landscape.
I researched paper and textiles through study in Japan in the mid- to late Eighties supported by the Fellowship, Village and Home Crafts 1985, and the Japan Foundation 1987. I worked on creative arts in the community sector and was able to share my findings in arts events and education. This led to further research with an Arts Council Award to India in 2006.
Paper was made by hand in Maidstone with the last sheets being formed at Hayle Mill in the late Eighties, which led to my fascination with paper in all its forms and its wider connected use as a textile in Japan.
The lifelong impact of the Fellowship continues to feed my practice. I have written five books and worked on major international projects, including a recent exhibition with the International Quilt Festival in Japan. I continue to seek to support creativity in the community. 'With opportunity comes responsibility' has been the mantra for my working life.
Forty years on, my Churchill Fellowship to Japan to study traditional handmade paper still shapes how I think, create, and teach. It sparked a lifelong journey exploring paper, place and identity – one that continues to evolve as I balance creativity with care, and remain rooted in community and resilience.
By Cas Holmes, 22 May 2025
Cas Holmes (CF 2009) has co-authored Soulful Stitch, a book exploring stitched responses to crisis, offering practical advice for textile artists facing challenging times.
By Cas Holmes, 10 October 2024
Textile artist Cas Holmes (CF 1985) has written a book entitled Embroidering the Everyday, which was published on 2 September. Cas drew upon findings gathered during her Fellowship, which explored the history and decorative application of Japanese papermaking.
By Cas Holmes, 30 June 2021
All Reports are copyright © the author. The moral right of the author has been asserted. The views and opinions expressed by any Fellow are those of the Fellow and not of the Churchill Fellowship or its partners, which have no responsibility or liability for any part of them.
Forty years on, my Churchill Fellowship to Japan to study traditional handmade paper still shapes how I think, create, and teach. It sparked a lifelong journey exploring paper, place and identity – one that continues to evolve as I balance creativity with care, and remain rooted in community and resilience.
By Cas Holmes, 22 May 2025
Cas Holmes (CF 2009) has co-authored Soulful Stitch, a book exploring stitched responses to crisis, offering practical advice for textile artists facing challenging times.
By Cas Holmes, 10 October 2024
Textile artist Cas Holmes (CF 1985) has written a book entitled Embroidering the Everyday, which was published on 2 September. Cas drew upon findings gathered during her Fellowship, which explored the history and decorative application of Japanese papermaking.
By Cas Holmes, 30 June 2021
All Reports are copyright © the author. The moral right of the author has been asserted. The views and opinions expressed by any Fellow are those of the Fellow and not of the Churchill Fellowship or its partners, which have no responsibility or liability for any part of them.
