"My imagery often harks back to biological illustrative work from my earlier career, but have broken out from the formalistic constraints of that “container”, to be filled with energies, tensions and relationships."
The imagery of scientific investigation is integral to my art practice. My readings from the realms of religion, physics, biology and ecology and many years of keen observation of my local bioregion, have all contributed to an aesthetic investigation that dwells upon underlying patterns and relationships inherent in this part of the world: the patterns of water drops on leaves, the way lichen spreads on sandstone or the manner in which trees co-inhabit the landscape. The inspiration is endless.
Education and Experience
2014 3D printing workshop - with Three Farm - Blue Mountains City Gallery
1996 Sculptural textiles with Jane Sauer (USA)
1995 Australian Network for Art & Technology. Summer School in
Digital Design & Animation
1994 Master Creative Arts. - Wollongong University - first year
1994 Mystical Symbols/Ritual Objects with Walter Nottingham (U.S.A.)
1988 Textile Constructions with Joan Michels-Pacque (U.S.A.)
1976 B.A. (Macquarie University). Majoring in Molecular Genetics & Ecology
Awards
2021 Regional Arts Victoria - Project Grant
1995 Australia Council - Visual Arts & Crafts Board. Project Grant
1993 Inaugural Scholarship - Quilters’ Guild of N.S.W.
1990 Blue Mountains Art Prize - Category
1985,6,8 Australian Textile Art Prize - Awards of Merit
1986 Australia Council - Crafts Board - Project Development Grant
Solo Exhibitions (selected)
2022 The Arboreal Planet suite - Falkner Gallery, Castlemaine
2020 Centre - exhibition of textile collages - Falkner Gallery, Castlemaine
ArtsOpen - Castlemaine, Victoria
2018 ...stitched to everything...- musings of an errant ecologist... Textiles and photographs. Falkner Gallery, Castlemaine
ArtsOpen - Castlemaine, Victoria
2016 ...stitched to everything in the universe… , drawings. Falkner Gallery, Castlemaine
2009 The lie of the land - Hat Hill Gallery - Blue Mountains, N.S.W.
2004 X3 - solo exhibition - sculpture and painting. Gallery Lane. Leura
1993 Quilted Works - Fairmont Resort - Blue Mountains, N.S.W.
1989 Full Circle - quilted & sculptured Textiles - Narek Gallery, A.C.T.
1988 Quilted Works - Braemar Gallery, Springwood. NSW
1987 Quilts & Painted/Printed Textiles - Yartz Gallery, Sydney
Group Exhibitions (selected)
2023 Golden Textures - Contemporary Art Quilts. Central Goldfields Art Gallery
Viewer's Choice Award
Connections - Falkner Gallery, Castlemaine
2021 Journeys- Falkner Gallery, Castlemaine
2018 Art Quilt Australia
2017 Art Quilts. Yarra Valley Regional Museum. Victoria
2017 Art Quilt Australia - Launceston. Tasmania
2014 Waste to Art - Blue Mountains Cultural Centre Gallery. Blue Mountains
Hornsby Art Prize. Sydney
2012 Regeneration - Contemporary Quilt Textiles. Manly Art Gallery & Museum
2011 Winter Show - Papyrus Gallery - Leura. Textiles and Drawing
2010 Skin - Redant Gallery - Sydney. Photograhs
2009 Split infinitive - Kerry Lowe Gallery - Newtown. Mixed media and drawings Art Quilt Australia 09 - Crafts Council ACT
2008 Paper, Rock Scissors - Ben Roberts Gallery - Lawson. Mixed media Tree/Creek - Ben Roberts Gallery - Lawson. Mixed media
2004 ICON - Images of the sacred - Blue Mountains. Drawing Hobart Art Prize - selected exhibition - Hobart Art Gallery
2003 Blue Mountains Photographers - Katoomba Creative Mountains Artists - Dorrigo Arts Council. Painting
2001 Hobart Art Prize - Fashion. Co-created with Paula Martin
1998 Tamworth National Fibre Exhibition - Tamworth City Art Gallery
1996 Stanthorpe Art Prize - Stanthorpe Regional Gallery, Queensland.
1995 Textile exhibition - Gallery 43. Leura. N.S.W.
1994 Melbourne Quilt Exhibition - invited Judge and exhibitor. The New Quilt 1994 - Getting It Together. Manly, N.S.W
1993 The Alice Art Prize - Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs Highly Irregular - Quilts not according to rule - Manly Regional Art Gallery Discerning Textiles - Investigations of Process & Structure - exhibition through the Directions Exhibition Project - Goulburn Regional Gallery
1992 Australian Perspectives - works from six Australian Quilt Artists - Sydney Homage to the Idol - Contemporary Quilts - Manly Regional Art Gallery Tamworth National Fibre Exhibition - Tamworth City Art Gallery
1991 Threads of Life - Textile Art from Western Sydney - Lewers Regional Gallery
In the Sparkling Whorls of Light - World Council of Churches Conference, A.C.T. The New Quilt - contemporary Australian Quilts - Manly Regional Art Gallery Threads of Journeys - Australian Quilt Textiles - Dpt. of Foreign Affairs & Trade
1990 Fibre & Text - selected travelling exhibition, Ararat Regional Gallery
Publications
2012 Textiles - The Art of Mankind by Mary Schoeser. Thames and Hudson
2011 Textile - Fibre Forum. Issue no.101
2009 Textile - Fibre Forum.
1992 The Quilters Kaleidoscope - Dianne Finnegan - Simon & Schuster. Craft Art (Vol 25) - ‘Australian Perspectives’
1990 Piece by Piece - The Complete Book of Australian Quiltmaking - Dianne Finnegan Simon & Schuster.
1989 Australian Quilts - The People & their Art - Simon & Schuster.
1988 Quilt Australia - A national survey of contemporary Australian quiltmaking
Bay Books.
Workshop supervision
1992 Surface Decoration - Cottage Studios. Katoomba
1988 Community Banners Workshops - Mudgee Bushcraft & Music Festival 1987 Quilt/Banners Workshops - Lithgow Bicentennial Community Arts Project 1986 Community Arts Banner project - Blue Mountains City Council
Freelance Work
1999-present: Set up ‘Performingdesign’ - a partnership with Paula Martin specialising in corporate and theatrical design, Public art, scenic art, theatre design, sculpting & prop making, costume & mask designing & making.
To see some of our commission work CLICK below