Textile Art for TOCAL exhibition

Forgive my  poor photography which shows reflected fluro lights –

this framed piece is being entered into the Art Society’s exhibition at the Tocal Field Days – an annual event held this coming weekend.  

Tocal agricultural college is a short drive from Dungog.

This piece, “Forest Floor”, was made with monoprints using Jo Sonja acrylic paints, cotton and silk fabrics, deconstructed screen print, and to create additional texture hand stitching was applied.   It has a very earthy appearance.

A gift to encourage wellness!

Is this a delicious idea?

My long-term friend is recovering from surgery.   So I made her an art-bag!

We have often talked about her desire to start sketching but other facets of life got in the way.

I think that possibly now is the time to encourage this activity, as I can envisage her sitting on her front verandah, bathed in sunshine, with sketchbook in hand.

So I made this simple but functional bag which is filled with goodies – watercolour paints, sketchbook, pencils – all to inspire a pastime of sketching.

She loves horses, so the front panel of this calico bag, is a commercial fabric depicting horses but to make the imagery more subtle, it is covered with silk that has been screen printed – deconstruction style.

I really hope this “recovery gift” from my hands makes her smile.

Fabric Postcards – wishing upon a star!

This week, it has been time to make fabric postcards.   An old and special friend soon to be in surgeon’s hands, needs I feel,  some wishes upon a star for her recovery to good health again.   This postcard – with its very special star – was made today to mail to her at hospital.  This was created with purchased printed polyester, overlaid with a gorgeous lace flower, and machine embroidered with orange polyester thread.  My special message to her is handwritten on the fabric back.

If you are wondering how the other Postcards were made, I used Polysol dyes to create the backgrounds, then stitched and beaded to create more imagery.  I am wondering which one you like best - and of

course I am curious as to your reason for your choice.

As you can see landscapes still emerge from my fingers – maybe I will move onto other imagery soon….I wonder.

Two photos of exhibition pieces to tempt you!

These bags are made to make pep up the adventure with one of those regular tasks most of us undertake,  supermarket shopping.

The other photo offers a diversion from shopping;  time to look and feel the freshness of watching the action of the sea.  

Aren’t surging waves a wonder with their froff and force?   Breathing in the freshness of salt air somehow seems to cleanse the lungs and mind.   I had  a dose of the seaside last weekend – as it was my birthday so we stayed at a lovely hotel situated right on the beach at a holiday location.    

Despite the cold air from an open balcony window (our choice) to listen to the pounding of waves on the shoreline,  I slept like a baby , a birthday baby!

A FEAST WITH COLOUR!

This quilt for the wall was a creation based upon what I learnt from Gloria Loughman, and then embellished in my own way. 

Quiltcamp at Kurrajong was a 3-day sojourn where I attended Gloria’s “Lighting the landscape” class.   My piece is based on a photograph taken during the Ridgetop Tour at Arkaroola in South Australia.

After placing tiles onto the background, fabric pieces were carefully chosen to depict light and shade of the mountain ranges.   The grass tree was a combination of fused fabric and thread work (machine stitches) to depict the leaves.   Hard to see in this photo is the head of the grass tree with its multi-coloured beads, stitched one bead at a time for durability.

This was such a feast,  a whole quilt to play around with intense colour.

Myrtle – Australian hard wood

Every now and again someone special walks into your life!    It doesn’t happen often, and it comes out of the blue.  To acknowledge this friendship my husband Chris crafted this beautiful jewellery box from a flat piece of myrtle hardwood.  It also features tiger myrtle wood with its eye-catching textured lines.  

I made the fabric insert, based upon my love of the Ozzie outback and colours of the desert.   This features silk and cotton fabrics, embroidered on my machine with lots of lovely threads, especially Superior Rainbow threads. 

This box is on its way to Fibre Forum at Orange – being delivered by a colleague who is attending a week’s long workshop there.   One of the international tutors will get a nice surprize in April.   I cant wait to hear her excited response.   It is such a nice feeling to give freely something that is made from the heart and hands, from the two of us too!

Mixed media collage – cool colours

Silk and cotton fabrics feature in this little quilt – many I hand dyed.   Also included is a glorious metal rose from my treasure trove.  And…to add an international flavour,  embroidered Indian sari cloth and fabric from Argentina.

I love most colours.  Especially blue.   It is a colour I will never grow tired of, a bit like my love of greens and all the other colours of nature.   As a child living in Adelaide I spent a lot of time with my family on boats frequently sailing to Kangaroo Island and Port Lincoln during my school holidays  - I have very fond memories of being mesmerized by the colour of deep sea.  

This piece of textile art is reflective of those times.   Time to enjoy the great summer blue skies of southern Australia and all the shades of blue that only comes from very deep ocean waters.   Sailing at nighttime, the sea turns black – watching the water gush past the portholes I loved watching twinkles from white/silvery miniature sealife.   And when the dawn skies showed purple tones, it was a warning of rough weather to come.

T0 show these colours of life at sea, my piece includes pieces of silk and cotton fabrics that I dyed some time ago.  

Teaching in 2011

Contemporary Quilting ‐ Abstraction, Paint & Stitch Workshop

for  ATASDA NSW

 Sat/Sun 12/13 November 2011 at Epping (Sydney).

 This workshop will focus on contemporary quilt making using mixed media and showcasing strong visual imagery.

 Students will be guided in the creation of unique, abstract styled fabrics, using textile paints and Shiva oilstiks on paper and fabric.

Each person will create their own sample using varied machine stitching styles, easy‐peasy free‐motion embroidery work, hand stitching, embellishment methods and the creation of visual texture.   Contact ATASDA NSW for further details.   This workshop is open to members and non-members.

  

Being bowled over … by “Bold Over Batiks”

Going through past editions of “Quilting Arts” magazines led me to the website www.boldoverbatiks.com.  

To cut a long story short I was encouraged by such helpful communication (emails with Mary Scott in USA) that I purchased these absolutely deliciously gorgeous and beautiful handcrafted batiks via the web.

They are such a work of art, created by real artisans with a love of what they create.

  

These fabrics, beside making my heart-strings sing, represent excellent value too.   I am itching to include these in my art-quilts, so you will see these fabrics in future posts of my work.   

I encourage you to go to www.boldoverbatiks.com and learn about this innovative venture with small batik cottage artists in Malaysia.   I take my hat off to them for their ability to produce such lovely pieces whilst ensuring their craft continues to live on within their culture.  

You will be inspired!

Riso screen printing, paints & fabric

Working once again with paints and fabric, this quilt was created as an escape from our summer heat.   Being a quieter time of the year with minimal commitments, I took the opportunity to learn how to use a Riso screen.   I included my first attempt in this quilt – a photo I took near Arkaroola was used to screen print the image.  Can you pick it?

Creating this piece aroused memories of flying over outback Australia, which occurred quite regularly during my earlier life living in Adelaide S.A.

Interestingly, my friends all “see” something different from its imagery.   No surprises though that many thought of an aerial perspective, or viewing a map.     During the time I made this quilt, I was reading about the Flinders Ranges and once again was struck by the ruggedness of its rocky backdrop formed millions of years ago, its particular vegetation suitable for dry climates,  and its people of the land.