I'm currently working towards an exhibition proposal, some processes of which, have been slightly interupted by the great sending of humanity to their rooms my Mother Earth. Other aspects have been greatly booned by this pause, ie. the makings themselves. It's a bit like working a spell, containing the energy, allowing it to build and then releasing it's energies out into the world....
We live in an age of social media, that shows and shares our, sometimes daily, existence with those who choose to engage in the ethernet. I made the call to withdraw from such arenas several months ago, it wasn't a hard call really, twas doin' my head in at the time, but as the crescendo builds I'm itching to share what I've been working upon these months, and will be in the next to come. The same desire for a sense of community that led me to give Instagram a try, calls me. Yet, there's magic in patience, secrets n mystery. This is what I hope to preserve and allow to soak, mayhap even ferment a little, by holding off....
My assistant / familiar, whilst watching over procedures, is encouraging me to be the witness to these feelings (as she is to the practicalities). Take a deep breath, and continue to dye n stitch quietly, for the love of. Tis a practice in and of itself. Aaaahh wise teacher....
I have shared with my family n circles close, it's inevitable. Their encouragement and posativity have urged me onwards, thanks folks....
I am a crafter n maker. Have been since a little one….
There are parallel themes of creativity, and connection to nature, especially Australian plants, in my family, on both sides.….
My maternal Grandmother, Bea’s, garden was a blend of both Australian natives, and English cottage plantings, in a manner years before her time. As was the Native Tree Preservation Society she helped establish to protect coastal Tea tree vegetation near her home in Beaumaris, Victoria. It’s still going strong.
My paternal Grandmother, Alice, was a gatherer of clothing she would tantalisingly reveal to me on visits. Cupboards of Victorian lace, and museum quality costume pieces. Upon retiring, she promptly created a crafting room ‘down the garden’, where she made mysterious things happen. Paper from recycled phone books n plants, pressed dried flowers, patchworked, sewed. A ‘she shed’.
My Mum, Diana, is a Landscape Architect now turned peasant, nomad n watercolourist, with a deeply ingrained passion for Australian plants. My Dad, Julian was a Television director, who made, amongst other programs, the insightful and far ahead of its time ‘Babakiueria’ a role reversal of who were the indigenous folk In Australia, he was also an avid ‘Mr Fixit’. Fella’s crafting.
In my own life, the act of creating has led me into several tangents over the years, remaining a sturdy tree under whose shade to nourish, in a not unchallenging life.
During the last few years, the path I currently walk, usually ambling barefoot, has emerged and developed….
In my current works, and this proposal, I am stretching my wee wings and finding my own ways. Experimenting with hand sewing with intention, what I am coming to call ‘witchin’ stitchin’. Upcycling scavenged / foundling clothes n fabrics into other forms in a kind of metamorphosis. Then bundling them with a mix of gathered /windfall leaves and boiling them in a cauldron, thus colouring them with 'plant echoes’.
This exhibition would be my first, and I do hope to begin from this place…..
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