Glory Christmas

Better late than never!  This was from our Glory Box Christmas Party - way back on the 15th of December.  Perhaps it has taken me so long to blog about our day because I ate far too much yummy food.  It was a special feast as the Coptic Community fast in the lead up to Christmas, which for them is the 7th of January.  Fasting means eating no meat or dairy. Although decadent chocolate cake was still on the menu cleverly made with soy!

Juliette kept our ambitions sewn together throughout the project and on this day she laid out the table cloth for which we had sewn a square each.

It was exciting and also sad, as our time sewing together has come to an end.

All our work will be soon be opening at an exhibition at The Hunt Club Community Arts Centre Deer Park.  Along side this project has been a writing of a book, launched that night too, details to come soon.

Transporting Dirty Denim

Installation for Dirty Denim is happening this week - Paul the fantastic managing curator at La Trobe University Visual Arts Centre offered to pick up my work from my studio!  I was a little surprised when he pulled up in his car.

But it all fitted Ok - Dirty Denim opens this Thursday evening at 6pm -  see you then!

Sweet and Dirty

I haven't posted for a while about Dirty Denim - I have been stitching away in the studio making my denim patchworks.  The plan is that my second large work will be finished this Friday!  Stay tuned.  The exhibition will be going up on the 1st of December - Verity and I are now putting together some sustainable textile workshops to take place later this year.

Verity has some show and tell teasers!  She has been working on some gorgeous denim purses to sell.  Completely handmade from reclaimed materials.  She has used her distinctive and alluring screen printing design - I really love her design style.

Glory Box workshop week 6

Last week I posted about my preparation work for Workshop 6 for Glory Box.  This project has been challenging for me to facilitate for a number of reasons - cultural, distance (the project is over 200km away from where I live) and also understanding what is shared between the women who want to make items about Glory Boxes.  

At first I had assumed that the women participating had all made items for their own Glory Box or had access to items from their Mother's or Grandmother's Glory box - but this isn't the case at all - for a number of reasons - including the most tragic; war, and most excitingly; feminism.  It is almost like this project is an opportunity for the women - who are mostly entering the autumn time in their lives to have time, space and support to make beautiful items of hope and joy for a glory box.

As mentioned previously we are working towards making a collaborative table cloth that is exploring the meaning of the table; the items that go on a table and also what the act of sitting around a table can mean. Above is the linen squares cut up and ready to be transformed.

The first hour or so of the session was spent researching imagery  - sourced from books, and google images.  Researching also the stitching and techniques to use to develop up a design.

 Other women are also creating individual works - this work here is a traditional needle work method that I had never come across before called Milon - searching this term in wikipedia I wasn't able to find any more information - so hope to learn more.

 

I apologise for the quality of the photo - but had to include as this image is documenting a very special event - the cutting of the nightie - a very important item for all Glory Boxes!

We meet again next Thursday at the Hunt Club in Deer Park.  The focus of our next session will be working further on our table cloth and individual projects that have started.  As the artist in residence I am to respond to the activities and processes that the project is unravelling.  I have started to do this by making a quilt from baking paper - no images yet - it is still very much in experimentation phase, but I will post about it when the right time comes to share.

What was the Enlightenment

The launch and also the closing of the Enlightenment Project took place last Sunday - launched and closed by the Victorian Arts Minister Peter Bachelor. I now have two fabric cubbies in my car port - not sure really what to do with them now. Any cubby lovers out there?

Here is the Minister & also a Councillor of the Macedon Ranges - wouldn't it been lovely if they hopped into the cubby and grinned from in there?


The day before was a Children's craft anoon hosted by the generous and hard working volunteer friends of the Kyneton Museum.




Speaking of brilliant cubbies and textiles work check out these ones below & for more information follow this link


I also love this perminant cubby made by children from the Melbourne University Early Learning Centre, souced from the blog Let the Children Play.

Young Places & Pieces Artist's new Works!

Here is a proud little post of new art works by the young students I worked with at Bendigo Senior Secondary College whilst on residency there for a project called Places & Pieces.

This one is by Karly - it is called Felt Master Piece 2


A Piece of Lace by Akasha


This lovely ceramic braclet by Simone called Hope and Dreaming


Eve Lace and Night

A selection of my Places & Pieces Jewellery

I have been working on a fantastic project called Places and Pieces, which has seen me as an artist in residence at the Bendigo Senior Secondary College. Tomorrow is my last day - it has been a memoriable and life changing experience and I hope I have the opportunity to work in a high school setting again. The students were wonderful and very inspiring.

These images are of works that I made in response to the Places and Pieces Theme; jewellery and body adornment pieces that reflect their place in a geographic, cultural and personal sense.

I made them back in May - for some nervous reason it has taken me sometime to post them.

Winter Salon

This is a new work that is accompanying Mem Fox to a wonderful little group show that I was fortunate enough to be invited to participate in.

It is opening today (the 17th of July) at 12pm - 4pm at LOT 19 Castlemaine.



Unfortunately I am not sure if I will make the opening - Kd had a bad night with the beginnings of a sore throat - let's see what the day brings....

Recent Stitching

Introducing the Enlightenment Project

This year I am working as an artist on a variety of Central Victorian Projects, including the THE ENLIGHTENMENT PROJECT, with the Kyneton Museum and Macedon Ranges Shire Council

On Sunday I made my first visit to the museum and was taken by their amazing collecting of objects and also textiles. (not to mention the wonderful staff who I will really enjoy working with) This post documents the very beginning of my research and relationship with this venue.




The Enlightenment project is about creating interpretive material to tell stories triggered by the museum site of the old bank building and significant collections and objects it holds.

I was fortunate to be approached by another local artist Tara Gilbee to work on this project,.

Through collaboration between Kyneton Museum and the artist the Enlightenment Project 2009/2010 aims to;
• use multi-media to provide a more lively engagement with the museum site and its collections, rather than simply static artifact displays
• make Kyneton Museum collection and stories more accessible to the community
• increase Kynton Museums engagement with its local community

I think the staff at the Museum are doing a pretty good job engaging the local community - the day I attended the museum was very busy with lots of people of varying ages coming and also an exhibition taking place as well as a garden party. The collection is well displayed, with a variety of existing interpretation materials for adults and also children.

The first object that stole my heart was this lamp shade. I was taken by its whimsical shape and daring nature.

This shape has completely made me smitten and I can see it coming into another body of work I am creating at the moment for the City of Bendigo Art in the Conservatory Project - but more about this later.

My role is to create textile shelters and surfaces. I am hopeful that this form and method of construction might some how feed into this process. My sister gave me a book on making lamp shades from wire - I wonder if I still have it or did I pitch it in the move to our new home?

I am booking in more time to go through their catalogue cards for textiles, however I was fortunate to view their signature quilt, made back in 1905. This quilt is huge, perhaps 2m by 3m white thread on white linen with hand made lace. Completely breath taking, and I am looking forward to researching all the stitches used in this work. Stitching words, can seem to be very easy, but it isn't and I have always struggled with choice of stitch.

The signature quilt was made by the women on Kyneton as a fund raiser for children in India. Local families purchased squares of the quilt, then the women donated their time to make the work.

I think this method of representation, piecing of fabric together to make a whole is also something I would like to draw from as well. Interestingly the local milk bar facilitated the donating of money and documenting people's names to be embroidered.


A blind took my fancy too for its pattern and use of mono tone and shape through light play.






I liked also the picnic rugs and blankets in the cabinet about Picnics at Hanging Rock. I believe the final work will be exhibited outdoors in the evening - kinda nice idea of people sitting on textiles as well and also reflecting in the mystery around famous picnics at Hanging Rock.

words written and to write about my work

...an ecology of place ... explore relationship between European identity and Australian landscape ... Holly Story

I found this today - the artists work and her web site I am not so keen on.

Here is an article about my work - havent posted as made me kinda cringe. But reading again this evening not as bad