Gathered Threads

 There is some terrific work in  Gathered Threads an exhibition I have curated at ArcYinnar. It would be great to see lots of visitors, though I realise Yinnar is a little bit off the beaten track , but not that far  and certainly not as isolated as Gellibrand used to be. These exhibitions can only ever be as good as the number of visitors that visit and in my experience over all of these years it is word of mouth that is one of the best spreaders of information and exhibition news. A flyer, a poster or an instagram post can only do so much- what we need is foot traffic and for people to be amazed by these wonderful  works!

So I share some of the work here: Gathered Threads

Work by Lynette Weeks- the piece on the right inspired by the Grampians- Gariwerd and the ridge lines visible as you spend time in the Grampians. Lynette uses ecodyeing techniques and is inspired by the natural environment and also uses breakdown printing to create water effects inspired by the sea environment near her home. I have known Lynette since my Geelong years and have had our hand at organising a few things here and there.

Work by Beth and Trevor Reid. This couple have worked together ever since I have known them ( which is quite a long time ) and I have shown off their work  in  a few exhibitions over the years, and continue to find new ways to  express the quilt medium even using very traditional piecing methods which shine with originality and  clever use of light/dark. All of the pieces in the exhibition have been made using the nuances of denim to create these contrasts.

Work by Fiona Wright using the khadi fabric which has become synonomous with the Stitching Project a venture by Fiona and her partner Praveen Najak. This project employs dozens of women on a fair trade basis which sees those women being able to send their children to school and purchasing small amenities to improve their lives - even such things as toilet buildings. I met Fiona when I was doing my Masters degree in the very early 2000's and she was the recipient of the Henry Foyle scholarship for recent graduates which saw here venture to India and so onto the creation of the Stitching Project. Her work involves finding inspiration in words of encouragement and words of courage- In the Words of Ghandi " be the change you wish to see in the world" and of course using khadi.

Work by Sue de Vanny, a very painterly effect achieved with fabric and thread and a bit of paint. Sue is also a painter but her textile pieces bring another dimension- the textures are luscious and create images that beg to be touched- though we can't. These portraits of animals have all been inspired by Sue and her husband Carl's travels in Africa and as with all portraits it is the eyes of these great creatures that capture the soul of these wondrous animals and of course  the textures. I marvel at these works.

Works by Carolyn Sullivan whom I have also known for a long time and who continues to surprise me with the  finesse of her work and the wonderful explorations of macro views of natural objects. These two pieces show the gamut of Carolyn's work which includes machine stitching and applique and incredible hand  stitching on naturally dyed silks.

Work by Sarah Louise Ricketts  some with Alice Nothe. I can't remember when I first met Sarah but I do know I have toured some of her pieces over the years and we have hatched some crazy plots the most recent was her support for a project to bring 4 of the women from  Boneca de Atuaro in Australia in  2019. Sarah's pieces are felted, layered and stitched and no photograph will do them justice .

Gosh- how long have i known Robina Summers??  I think it goes back to 1995 when Robina was exploring transferring digital photographs onto fabric, that eventually led onto study at RMIT and really combining her great loves: photography, fabric, digital manipulation ,stitch, dye and exploration of the environment near her home at Kangaroo Ground and  the larger urban area of Melbourne. Over the years we have hatched many plots- Robina and Tony have been my sounding board for the exhibitions which I have  curated and toured since 2000 when Australian Bounty toured in France and Europe ( the only travelling exhibition of Australian art in the  Sydney Olympic year) and was instrumental in opening doors for Australian textiles to be shown in Europe- they have encouraged me in my crazy dreams and together we have created 3 catalogues of work by Australian quilt artists- the only  such works available in actual book format.

Cheryl Cook is a recent encounter for me- but when I first met Cheryl at a printing workshop at Arc Yinnar I was straight away enthused about how she was using felt, dye, ink and the natural environment in her work. She creates many of her own inks and uses texture  in such a free and interesting way that you almost want to dive into the works. I am sure we will hatch plots in the future!

And finally my own work, some of which I have shared here before but one new piece with the badges ( which are for sale - each badge is $60 AUS)- message me if you are interested.

As i write this I realise I have had a rare privilege that I would not have thought possible twelve months ago.  I have had to privilege of inviting old friends and new to show off their work, to show off their skill, to show off their passion  and create a beautiful exhibition altogether.  And my goodness we have had some adventures over the years! In becoming the very part time gallery coordinator at Arc Yinnar I have been able to put together a curated exhibition of art textiles of work by people whose work I admire, who show great diversity in the practice of textiles and embraced the challenge to create small bodies of work within the exhibition. It was a wonderful bonus that quite a few could attend the opening last Saturday.