I use layered and stitched Textiles to evoke memories of time and place. Currently I am mostly, but not exclusively, moving between two themes:
'Trapping Colour, Catching Light' explores imagery from the Great Barrier Reef, 'Where the rainforest meets the Sea,' in Northern Queensland, Australia. Painted silks are layered over felted wool to create a rich surface with depth of interest. Fish, Coral, Rainforest provide a rich source of interest.
'Coastlines' began with an eco-friendly walking holiday on the Northumberland coast; here I am interested in the juxtaposition of printed cloth with my own collection of linen and silk fabrics, dyed with tea bags and only black dyes. Essentially I am playing with cloth and rediscovering the pleasues of piecing. The restricted palette allows me to concentrate on the qualities in the cloth and the effects of the stitched mark.
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Trapping Colour, Catching Light
'Where the Rainforest meets the Sea' |
Quilts
Further inspiration from The Great Barrier Reef
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Coral Bleaching
(106 x 243cm 2010) |
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White coral may look festive, but it is an indication of the coral under stress from changes in the environment, water temperature, solar irradiance, salinity and a decline in zooplankton. This causes the coral to expel the zooxantheallae which give the coral it’s colour.
The Coral Curtain attempts to present this fragility. Worked on two layers of silk organza, the stitched patterns are abstractions of coral forms. Pearl buttons are added to catch the light.
Click here for an image of 'Coral Bleaching' hung at a HVAF exhibition in 2010
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Journal Quilts 2010 |
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January -Coral Bleaching 1
(18 x 25cm 2010)
Corals are organic natural forms with amazing variety. Colours are reflected from sky and water, washed with blues and greens. Wax resist on silk habotai, machine quilted with silk wadding and metallic thread. |
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February - Coral Bleaching 2
(18 x 25cm 2010)
More snow! Hoar frost and icicles, ruffled edges of snow in the landscape, remind me of the various patterns in coral, most evident when bleached of colour. Wet felted merino wool and banana fibre, needle felted applied strips of chiffon, backed with chiffon and machine quilted. |
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March - Night time Coral
(18 x 25cm 2010)
Inspired by images under ultra violet light.
Batik in three colour stages on habotai silk. Densely machine quilted, piped edge. |
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April - Coral Bleaching 3
(18 x 25cm 2010)
White on White. Elemental forms of coral are quilted on finely ribbed silk, with wool wadding to create texture. . Piped edge with cleverly concealed join.
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May - Biodiversity
(18 x 25cm 2010)
Key words from the thesis down under. Screen print with thermofax screen on bamboo/silk fabric. Bamboo/cotton wadding, quilted with polyneon variegated thread.
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June - Sandspit
(18 x 25cm 2010)
Inspired by the intense colours in the Whitsundays, and the glorious yellow in the sandspit seen against the water. Painted silks, bonded with Mistfuse.
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July - Coral Bleaching 4
(18 x 25cm 2010)
Textures observed in bleached coral. Fabric manipulation achieved with semi sheer crimped silk over wool/viscose wadding. Embellished with shell fragments and glass beads.
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August - Anthias Fish
(18 x 25cm 2010)
Fish painted on organza and applied to painted habotai. Quilted with wool/viscose wadding and silk scrim. Washed to manipulate the surface, added hand embroidery, shells & beads. |
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Waterlines 2 |
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Waterlines 2
(47 x 162cm 2010)
Further exploration of painted silks. The fish were painted on silk habotai and organza using 'No Flow' to allow fine details. These were applied to a background of wax- resist painted silk. This was layered with wool/viscose wadding and silk scrim, machine quilted and then washed to manipulate by shrinkage.
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Comfort Blanket |
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Comfort Blanket
(34 x 212cm 2010)
Hand Quilting to explore the textures of Outback Australia, 'cracked rusty earth'. Draws on the traditions of Kantha and Sashiko quilting.
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September - Whitsunday Blues
(18 x 25cm 2010)
More experiments with colour and texture. Wet felted on white prefelt. Needle felted with torn strips of painted organza. Layered with painted habotai and machine quilted.
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Coastlines |
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Sandspit, Whitsundays
(57 x 43cm 2010)
Gleaming sand and fabulous colours in the water.
Painted silks. Bonded mosaic appliqué, machine quilted.
Workshop piece
for 'The Remarkable Symposium', New Zealand, Easter 2011 |
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October - Coral Bleaching 5
(18 x 25cm 2010)
Further exploration of white on white machine quilting. Silk scrim and ice wool wadding; I love the scrunchy texture.
Embellished with found shells and glass beads.
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November - Rainforest
(18 x 25cm 2010)
Steamy ethereal layers. Merino wool fibres incorporating torn habotai silk strips of fabric and hand dyed silk fibres to create a wool wadding. Layered with net, machine quilted and embellished with glass beads.
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Hidden
(30 x 42cm 2010)
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A childhood den, hidden in a beech hedge. Young beech leaves, soft, almost aromatic, juicy between my fingers. Colours changing, green and gold, orange and rust, rustling at my feet. Nuno-Felted merino wools onto dyed chiffon, incorporating torn strips of silk habotai and silk paper leaves. More silk paper leaves are appliquéd and quilted in overlapping layers. Daisy chain quilting.
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Whitsunday Blues - Sandspit 2
(50 x 84 cm 2010) |
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Sparkling sand and deep blue waters, off Langford Island in the Whitsundays, Queensland. Torn strips of painted chiffon laid over merino felted wools. Layered with painted silk habotai, machine & hand quilted. Embellished with glass beads.
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December - Coral Bleaching 6
(18 x 25cm 2010)
Zooming in, a computer generated grid structure provides the design, evocative of organic cell structures. Pieced over papers using a variety of silk textures. Applied to a background of felted merino wool and bamboo fibres. Free quilted and bound with dupion silk.
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