About
Born and raised on the rural west coast in the Highlands of Scotland, Iseabal Hendry is inspired by the traditional crafts she saw growing up, from basket weaving and clinker boatbuilding to roof thatching. Working with natural materials, such as vegetable-tanned leather, cotton, locally sourced wood and foraged plants, Iseabal’s work reflects and embodies a strong sense of place.
Iseabal’s creative practice is materially-led, inspired by zero-waste and her family heritage in leatherwork. By weaving very thin strips of vegetable-tanned leather with cotton, she can make use of the entire hide with almost no wastage. All of her materials are sourced within Europe, and some even closer to home in Scotland, working with and supporting family-run tanneries, weavers and independent makers.
After studying Traditional Clinker Boatbuilding in Plockton and Embroidery at the Glasgow School of Art, Iseabal launched her first collection of handwoven accessories in 2020. Her works are sold at Hauser & Wirth owned luxury hotel, The Fife Arms, and in Scotland’s home for contemporary craft, BARD.
Iseabal has been selected for several national craft programmes and was named as one of the Crafts Council’s ‘top 10 makers to watch in 2022.’ In 2023 her series of large-scale sculptural wooden and leather objects showed at Somerset House in London for Collect Art Fair, and later at the Bluecoat Display Centre in Liverpool. Most recently Iseabal has been awarded the Atlas Arts ‘Tobar An Dualchais’ residency.
Iseabal’s work aims to weave together environmental values, a modern aesthetic based on time-honoured techniques and materials, with the landscape that continually inspires her to make.
