Leah Creaven is an Irish textile artist who creates contemporary abstract rug tufted artwork from her studio at the Incubator in Tauranga.

Leah’s work centres around the land that surrounds her in New Zealand as well as the urban and rural landscapes she inhabited while growing up in Galway and Dublin in Ireland.

Through the tactile warmth of wool Leah tufts stories that marry together memory and place. Her work draws from personal and collective experiences, transforming fibre into vivid landscapes and quiet moments suspended in time.

The use of New Zealand wool is a conscious choice and plays a big part in contributing to this constant theme, helping to illustrate her connections and experiences with the land.

Leah’s ‘Land Girl’ exhibition at the Aratoi Wairarapa Museum of Art and History received excellent reviews and her ‘Rapa Rising’ piece won the Glenda Saunders Colour Award in the Wairarapa Art Review of 2021. Her work has featured in publications such as British Vogue and Home & Garden magazine.