After completing my first pillow embellished with embroidery at the age of 10, my mother showed me the contents of a cedar chest tucked away in our basement. Inside was a kaleidoscope of colourful fabric, each piece embroidered by various generations of women from our family. My mother pulled out a square of linen, on the back of which had a series of dots, thread, and gathered fabric. While holding this heirloom, she told a story about how textiles were a survival mechanism for our family- that every stitch has a layer of desperation, a need to support. 

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Mcleish’s work looks into the family systems and identities of women within the working class who had to push against a contextual framework of a society that caters to men. From these lived experiences, what passed through generations of her family was not merely an art and a survival skill, but trauma. The memories and observations of her maternal line displayed a tenacity to mend their lives, leading her to question how intergenerational trauma becomes interwoven into passed-down artistry/skills and how patriarchy pushes for control. Research as creation guides her creative process, one which is both experimental and intuitive. Her work merges textiles, ceramics, and printmaking to create a bridge between material languages. Her process facilitates symbolic and spiritual connections to a lineage of women, a thematic centrepiece embodied in every line she carves and prints.