A little bit of self congratulations
I finished my last blog musing about my art. So into my art practice again.
My current artwork explores a connection to place and the environment and my interpretation of erosion and disintegration. On one level my work is a contemplation of the physical weathering in the environment - at a deeper more personal level it is a reflection on ageing and weathering over a human lifetime; a parallel landscape of outer and inner worlds.
In my art practice I usually follow a thematic path. The statement above is where I have been at for the last few years. As well as exhibiting my art in solo or in duo shows I enter my work in Art Shows and Competitions. I have entered two this year. The first was the Shoalhaven Art Society’s Annual show at our Regional Gallery. One of my textiles which I re-named ‘Memoirs of Orion Beach’ won a Highly Commended in the members section. I was quite thrilled as it was the only textile in the whole show of over 160 art works. This piece was stitching on recycled linen and ripped eco dyed silk pieces. The prize of a voucher for art supplies from the Arthouse and a dinner at a renowned local seafood restaurant was an extra bonus.
The Embroiderers Guild of NSW holds a biennial exhibition called the Margaret Oppen Prize. MO was a contemporary embroiderer and the work has to reflect this. Although I do not call my art embroidery I do belong to their organisation and have had two exhibitions in Gallery 76. I entered two artworks for this prize.
As my art has been about erosion and decay I had begun to look at Lichens. I had been given some distressed fabric and I decided to dye it in iron and stitch onto this to recreate the green lichen that we see everywhere. I attached this to a vintage survey map that I had buried then eco printed with iron rust and leaves. This was awarded a Highly Commended.
Saxicolous Lichen,
Microscopic images reveal a wonderland of shapes and structures. I look for signs of the passage of time and the fragility in things, through their breakdown and evolution. Created on a vintage coastal survey map, dyed using the tannin iron complex, modified by rust, the stitching and recycled distressed fabric replicates Saxicolous Lichen, which is a combination of algae and fungus living together in a wonderful symbiotic relationship. Rock- growing lichens play an important role in nature's plan by converting rocks into soil. Growth and decay are a reminder of the fragility of our environment and the effects we have on it.’.
I created another textile piece and stitched straight onto the eco dyed paper map.
Parietina Lichen
‘The outlines and shapes in the landscape fascinate me. I look for signs of the passage of time and the fragility in things, through their breakdown and evolution. Created on a vintage coastal survey map, eco printed with coastal plants using the tannin iron complex, modified by rust. The stitching replicates Xanthoria Parietina or Shore Lichen, found where the air is filled with mineral salts, especially near the sea and on rocks and walls. Growth and decay are a reminder of the fragility of our environment and the effects we have on it. A littoral wonderland of colour and texture.’
Both works were the same size 70 x 25 cm.
…and so we wind down the year… to be continued