Jacki Barklie on resisting perfection

From painting flower power on her father’s car to water blasting antique linens in her New Zealand studio, fibre artist Jacki Barklie has never been one to follow rules. In this episode, Jacki explores scale, resistance, and identity in her richly layered practice – one that celebrates risk-taking, material curiosity, and the quiet power of the unsaid.

Show Notes

Takeaways from this episode:

• Art is a quiet act of defiance.

  Jacki's large-scale textile works resist neatness and conformity. With shredded edges, cracking pigments, and wax-drawn symbols, they speak to the fractured rhythms of the world – and offer a sensory, rebellious beauty in return.

• We are always emerging.

  “Even at 90, I want to be an emerging artist,” Jacki says. Her ever-evolving practice is guided by curiosity rather than mastery – a reminder that creativity isn’t about arriving, but continuing to move.

• The work begins with identity.

  Through art school, Jacki discovered that making meaningful work starts with knowing yourself. “Keep peeling back,” she says. “What are your values? Your essence? That’s the thread that keeps the work alive.”

• Material limitations can open new doors.

  A narrow car boot led Jacki to discover building paper as a substrate. Practical constraints often spark her most inventive choices – reminding us that creativity thrives on improvisation.

• Collaboration challenges comfort.

  From ceramicists to glass artists, Jacki seeks out partnerships that stretch her perspective. For her, connection fuels experimentation – and keeps the studio from becoming an echo chamber.

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Explore the artwork from this episode below

During the live interview, we shared some images of Jacki’s artwork. Since you’re listening to the podcast version, we’ve made these images available for you below.