Links

My work making telephone wire 'Links' is still on the go with a number of long lengths combined to make this form.

 I love playing with the different colour combinations and I hope to be able to combine them in a wall piece in the future.  It's taking me a long time to work out the best way - more to come.  Hopefully I will have it completed for the Basketmakers of Victoria Biennial Exhibition 'Twisted' to be held later this year.

I continue to be busy making baskets for the monkeys in the Melbourne Zoo.  Basketmakers are being challenged to make monkey sun lounges, platforms and feeding containers.  All must look natural and be a bit on the wild side.  I've enjoyed the relative freedom of making baskets with a different approach - taming the pahang is a whole body experience!

Ararat Regional Gallery are showing an exhibition of the fibre installation of American artist, the late Douglas Fuchs.  He was on a Craft Council of Australia Fellowship and this exhibition travelled interstate.  It was shown in 1982 and it influenced the fibre artists who saw it at the time.  It is a great exhibition and inspires today.

Monkey Business

At present, I am enjoying twining the electrical wire that I acquired at the Basketry Gathering held in Tasmania.  I am making long wire "snakes" of various colours which I plan to wind together. My goal is to reflect aspects of the natural and built environment .    

I have also been making "monkey baskets" for the Melbourne zoo. These baskets are used in the feeding of the primates. 

 It is a liberating project creatively because the baskets are meant to be messy and natural. I am sure it will help me with ideas for other works. The monkeys are benefiting too."

The season of Summer

The season of Summer means a chance to concentrate on basketry work and fibre forms.  The warmer weather means longer days and more time to spare.  I will begin work on pieces in the coming weeks which will take me some time to complete.     One work, hanging on my bedroom wall, needs resolving and I have a few ideas that I would like to try out. Cane, inflorescence and colourful twines are materials that I am drawn to at present.  Primarily the shape is my focus then I work out what basketry technique I can utilise to put it together.

In the months ahead I am looking forward to attending the Basketry Biennial Gathering in Port Sorell in Tasmania in March.  In April Basketmakers of Victoria will hold an exhibition - 'Drift'  on Herring Island.

Baskets of Today @ Katoomba Fine Art Gallery

See some of my work in the current exhibition at Katoomba Fine Art Gallery. Go to http://www.katoombafineart.com.au/

Not long until BoV biennial exhibition

I hope you like the new images I have posted on the Photos page.  Making these works has kept me busy in the months after attending Fibres Ballarat.

I was given access to a lot of Kennedia nigricans, which is a lovely Australian native creeper so I made a big effort to use it while it was green.  I hope you like the results.

I am still using blue baling twine as I keep thinking of different forms to make and it is so easy to use and carry around with me.  I find that the bright shiny colour also photographs well.  Jigsaw puzzle pieces have been inspiring to use - believe it or not!  Recently I have incorporated them in a hexagonal weave basket (see picture on the left).  They do provide great colour and pattern to a basket - it's just not easy stitching them in place.

It is not long now until the Basketmakers of Victoria biennial exhibition 19 November - 1 December at the Collingwood Gallery in Victoria.  A few of the pieces on my website will be in this show.  Some of my baling twine pieces will be at the Katoomba Fine Art Gallery in N.S.W. from 1 - 30 November .