Artist
Karl Macrae
Design-led Mixed Media & Music
Karl Macrae
Themes:
Music, Sewing, Embroidery, Visual Impairment, Communication, Architecture, Portraiture and the Natural World.
Meet Karl Macrae: He’s Sew Happy.
Karl is a design-led, mixed media embroidery artist and professional musician based in Perth, Scotland. He worked as a music teacher and Principal Teacher at Edinburgh’s Royal Blind School for 12 years, before setting up a music education consultancy practice 6 years ago.
In his visual artist practice, Karl mainly uses embroidery, but with a twist. His medium is a fine crochet thread, which acts as his pen mark, and vintage papers, coloured card, imitation gold/silver/copper leaf, colouring pencils, which act as paint marks.
These pieces are a culmination of his love of music, the world around him, and his professional practice as a teacher of people with visual impairment and blindness. The pieces act like raised diagrams, similar to those used with visually impaired learners, to help teach about shape and form.
Karl has over 25 years of teaching experience within educational settings and in private practice. He has taught music and currently delivers mixed-media embroidery workshops for adults.
Education
He holds a B.Ed. Music (Hons) (2001) and a P.G.Dip. Additional Support Needs, Visual Impairment (2011).
Biography
Karl Macrae is a design-led, mixed-media embroidery artist and professional musician based in Perth, Scotland. He worked as a music teacher and Principal Teacher at Edinburgh’s Royal Blind School for 12 years, before running a music education consultancy practice for six years. In 2017, he became a full-time creative practitioner while continuing to perform at various locations throughout Scotland.
He works as an embroidery artist using fine crochet thread as a pen mark and vintage papers, coloured card, imitation metal leaf, and colouring pencils as paint marks. He works on watercolour card and focuses on themes of architecture, portraiture, and the natural world. His pieces draw on his love of music, the world around him, and his professional practice supporting people with visual impairment and blindness.
Awards
He appeared on Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas in 2021 and features across BBC television channels as an iDent shown approximately ten times daily.
Professional language Experience
He has collaborated with organisations including RNIB, Sight Scotland, Vision Perth and Kinross, Edinburgh University, and The Donaldson Trust, providing professional training and support across education and care. He has also worked in Italy, Romania, and Ireland, supporting staff and learners across all age ranges.
