Friday, December 4, 2009

Summary of our first full year at Potato Point






We can’t believe it; we have been here for almost a full year. It has been a very busy, full, exciting and pleasurable year!! We both decided to approach our new “retired” life in very different ways. Peter joined just a few things and I joined everything!!!!!

My aim for the year was to “find my place’ in this new community. At first it was quite daunting – where do you start??? Well I joined heaps of things; Tai Chi; EFTAG (Eurobodalla Fibre Textile Artist Group); SAGE (Sustainable Agriculture and Gardening in Eurobodalla); NSW Rural Fire Fighters; Book Club; Montague Choristers; Bodalla Embroiderers; Sewing with students at Narooma Primary School; volunteering at both Bodalla and Narooma Primary Schools; and YAKS (don’t know what it stands for except the Kayak bit) so we canoe as well with some people - all very diverse groups. In addition we entertained heaps of people!!

Going from a very stressful life with huge responsibilities, challenging demands and full calendar to “doing what I liked, when I liked”, meant that I lost the plot!!!! I couldn’t get myself organized, didn’t want to do much, felt too tired, forgot people’s names – it was incredibly embarrassing!!!! People would invite me to things and then ring up asking where I was, when I hadn’t turned up. My friends started to get quite worried! Then I realized what the problem was – I could no longer run just my own schedule, I had to factor Peter’s schedule in as well and I needed to keep a well-organized diary! (Just like I always had done before, but now wasn’t doing!) So back to the trusty new computer ….. YES!! A scheduling program……. And YES a contacts’ list ……. And YES a reminder program……

This year, there was supposed to have been a focus on making art!!! Some activities have gotten in the way ….. I will really have to do something about that for next year!!!??? But which ones need to go????????? However I have managed to create enough art to be involved in 2 major exhibitions and one River of Art market stall. Artistically, I feel that I have grown and have a much deeper sense of design. The first time my work was on public exhibition (at the River of Art Market stall), I was very nervous, but I sold a bowl, to be followed up by the sale of another bowl, a short time later. The latest EFTAG exhibition has resulted in the sale of 7 items. All items have been purchased by practising artists – which is hugely encouraging!

We were very fortunate to have Marianne Little come to work with the group to create paper from natural fibres. This has led me on a new tangent with hand made papers becoming very important. Basket-making and Felted vessels workshops have capped off a very satisfying and enjoyable time of learning, making new friends and fitting into a new community. What a wonderful year!!!!!!!!!!!

It was very sad to have to help our friends Brian and Warren pack up their home of 35 years to move from Potato Point to Bomaderry. It took some time and everyone was quite exhausted by the end of it all. I’m sure they learn to love their new home, which they have now made really cosy and welcoming!

We have loved having friends and family to visit – and treasure the precious time we have spent with them. Zalea and Nigel, as well as Mum and Dad and Zalea’s boyfriend, Johnny, will spend Christmas with us, which we are looking forward to immensely. Zalea is “blitzing” it at Uni with top scores in every subject. We feel very sure that she will again, in 2009, be in the elite top 15% of all university students, Australia-wide. Nigel continues to work in the gardening industry in Melbourne. Both kids have rented a small unit in Burwood East where they seem to be coping reasonably well and not getting on each other’s nerves too often.


Sunday, November 29, 2009

Paper casting




Mary Gilmour, a well know local paper artist invited Marion and me to spend the day with her friend Toni, learning to cast paper. Instead of using collected natural fibres from the local area, we cut and soaked mat board off cuts. These were whizzed up in Mary's blender to form very fine white fibres. The paper we pulled was VERY thick! This was pressed before we pushed it onto tree stumps and tree trunks.

We have yet to do something with the outcomes of our day. But I have attached some photos of us making the castings.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Fashion Parade at the Exhibition (EFTAG)





My friend, Lorraine, very kindly modeled the Nuno-felted Dolman-sleeved jacket made for the fashion parade. Photos taken at the exhibition did not take very well. The nuno-felt was made before cutting out to form the jacket. 6 metres of tissue silk was used in it's construction. Natural coloured, Corriedale fleece, was the main wool applied over the tissue silk, with highlights of dyed merino, added later. Lorraine said it felt as light as a feather and would be extemely warm in winter.

Pots and Pods workshop





Recently the fibre textile group that I belong to had a workshop with Liz Evans as the visiting artist. She taught us to make felted pots and pods. I have attached some photos of the finished products. I hope you like them!

Sunday, November 15, 2009



Here are two items hanging in the exhibition. The piece that I entered into the Fashion Parade were fuzzy and blurred so I have had to delete them. I will ask one of my friends to model it and then place photos of it on the Blog

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

More photos of entries to the Eurobodalla Fibre textile Artists' Group Exhibition





Eurobodalla Fibre Textile Artist Group Exhibition






I have been working out of my comfort zone to create some items for this show. The title of the exhibition is "au Naturel". This to honour International Year of natural fibres. So I have had to use natural fibres rather than my normal man-made fibres. This is the result

Monday, June 29, 2009

Sea Urchin







My Sea Urchin is designed around the concept of an "art book".  Each "page" represents a stage in the life of a sea urchin from larvae to washed up dead shell on the beach.  Each sea urchin has a unique pattern of spines.  The urchin is made up of 10 separate plates, which when view by the human eye look like a perfect pentagon - hence the five "pages" of my book.

Taking it to the extreme!



Another bowl - so many holes this time it's a wonder it still can keep its shape!  This bowl used 8 Kilometers of thread!! The design is based on drain holes hence its title; Flowering From The Drain".


This is the second of the "bowl series", LEAVES.  This time even more stitching was included and more holes made.  The result is not one more stitch can be added!!

Here are some finished designs



The first of my "bowl" series, FISHES was an attempt to see how far I could stitch an object, cut and it still retain it's shape. The outside thread is a slightly different colour to the inside thread.  It has been stitched from both sides.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Welcome to my Blog

Hi,

I am a textile artist living on the far south coast of NSW, Australia.  It is a beautiful part of the world to which we have just moved from Melbourne.  I am hoping to be able to spend much more time doing what I really love and that is to design and create beautiful things with fabrics, mixed media and my trusty sewing machine.