the big week

It was a big week last week. I finished my last thesis chapter and the textile show opened at Waiheke. It was a lovely occasion, and because there were three exhibitions opening on the same night, the gallery was jam-packed. I was stoked to see that my birds had been given a whole wall to themselves, and on the adjacent wall there was the most beautiful display of Rosemary McLeod's felted tea cosies with lavishly embroidered detailing. There was so much beautiful work in the exhibition that words are inadequate to describe it, so I'll be popping back to the gallery before the show closes to take some photos, which I'll post here shortly.

But by far and away the most important event last week was my one and only sister's birthday! I put together a little stash of treats for her - a sage green Nana knitted cardigan, two handpainted plates from the 1940s, and a cluster of my wallflowers. I try to get a new prototype jewel made in time for Tazey's birthday, so this year's offering was a long string of beads made from tightly rolled strips of finely striped 1970s wallpaper. The thing I like best about it is that the density of the pattern meant that every bead came out differently.

I'm taking a couple of weeks off from crafting to finish writing my conclusion, and then it will be full steam ahead into Christmas productions, with special emphasis on turning the four kilo bag of merino roving (a birthday prezzie from my wonderful in-laws) into a range of beautiful felt prezzies. Back soon...

Textile Exhibition

Red Bird (after Jill McDonald, 1966)

The birds have been packed up and sent away to be installed next week. Here are the details of the exhibition in case any of you fancy a jaunt to Waiheke Island to admire or buy some beautiful contemporary New Zealand textiles. There will be home furnishings, toys, articles of attire, sculptural pieces and accessories created by a diverse range of contemporary textile artists including Rosemary McLeod, Rona Ngahuia Osborne, Miranda Brown, Paula Coulthard, Merrilyn George, Margaret Chapman and more.

Feel of Fibre

Curated by Judy Rae

25 Sept - 19 Oct 2009

Opening Friday 25 Sept. at 6pm

Waiheke Art Gallery

2 Korora Road, Oneroa

Waiheke Island

For sales enquiries or further information please contact

Linda Chalmers

director@waihekeartgallery.org.nz

some say less is more

Not me!

More is more as far as I'm concerned.

Here's the completed backdrop and shelf/branch for the yellow bird. Jack thinks I've gone completely bonkers, but I'm a colour enthusiast and I don't think there are enough bright and outrageous things in people's homes.

I saw the movie Carrington recently - a lovely film about the English artist Dora Carrington and her relationship with writer, Lytton Strachey. Perhaps the thing I liked best about the movie was seeing Carrington transform a plain country cottage into a work of art - she painted beautiful murals on all the walls and filled every nook and cranny with decorative paintings, so that the eye was always drawn to something wherever you looked. That's my kind of house!

In the process of making the wallpaper backdrops for the birds I hatched the idea of making individual 'wallflowers' that can be pinned to the wall in random places around the home to add a little colour and drama to the quiet spots above doorways, around windows etc - those areas that wouldn't ordinarily be decorated. Clusters of flowers might be nice too.

Hmmm, lots of possibilities...

background

one completed tui with background