Justine Randall
Justine Randall
Dusk
2018
Wool, cotton warp
170 x 170 cm
66 ⅞ x 66 ⅞ in.
Between 1986 and 1988 Randall studied at the Royal College of Art under Mary Farmer, who oversaw the movement of the Tapestry Course into the School of Fine Art. The fact that Randall was taught in the Fine Art Department, as opposed to a specific Textile Course, can be seen in her use of colour and composition, which has a painterly, abstract quality.
When discussing her decision to work with textiles, rather than painting or sculpture, Justine Randall describes how ‘colour seems more real and vital in yarn’. The depth of colour which can be achieved with weaving, in combination with the large scale of these tapestries, grants the pieces an intensity that is rarely achieved in paint.
There is a contrast between the density of the tapestries, and the transient moments of light that they portray. The variations between the intensity of night, and the clear light of the early morning, are achieved by adjusting the weight and sett of the warp and weft, in combination with using different yarns.
Justine Randall’s exhibition, Tapestries was on display from 29th November 2025 until 12th April 2026. The exhibition consisted of a series of five wall hangings, that use the differing weights and textures of yarn to convey the changing quality of light.
Justine Randall, Midnight, Moonlight & Shadows, 2016, detail.
‘I use yarn like a painter uses paint or a sculptor uses wood or metal’ – Justine Randall
The passing of time from day to night, the changing of the seasons and the ways in which nature's colour palette shifts, dissipates, and re-emerges have a direct effect on Justine Randall's emotions and psyche. With her chosen medium of textiles, where 'colour seems more real and vital' she has captured these fluctuations in light, temperature, colour and emotion in her Night Sky Tapestries
Randall calls into question why darkness causes so much discomfort, disorientation and fear. By opting for a thicker weft, Midnight, Moonlight & Shadows exudes a weighted presence, much like the oppressive feeling of standing beneath a great tree at night. The grey lines are the shadows cast by the moon, falling on the uppermost surfaces of the trees.
Justine Randall, Midnight, Moonlight & Shadows and Dusk in the Design House.