Kingaroy Regional Art Gallery June 2022

 I have been quiet with blogging the last few months. I have been steadily working on an exhibition in a local gallery. I had decided to make an exhibit of 3 series of my textile art. This involves a bit more than just making a few more quilts. I have also been working on my Incubator and Mastermind program with Lisa Call hoping to grow as an artist, so been a bit busy. Having IT issues which necessitated a new laptop didn't help either. The exhibition is called SHUTTERS: Looking Out. I am trying to convey the images of landscapes that people trapped inside might see when looking out the window which usually has blinds or shutters for privacy. My mother is currently residing in aged care and this is her usual view, and then when covid-19 "trapped" people inside, my artwork ( to me) has taken on an increased relevance. 

For the exhibition I decided to join the modern world and have a postcard made with a "'dreaded" QR code, yes, I can not see the need for signing in when the contact tracers are overwhelmed in a pandemic. This QR code takes an interested person to here, so hopefully they enjoy the experience and read more about my art.

On the back of  the card are my contact details, so you can contact me directly if you manage to pick up a postcard by visiting the gallery or scan and visit and leave a comment.

I made a few new pieces for the Exhibit. Here are a few examples of the series. This piece is Yellow Glimpse. I have been adding layers and just wanted to make a bright hopefully cheery  piece. I started this in December 2021 before Putin invaded Ukraine. I am sure many people will have their own interpretation about it now.

This piece is from the Tracks - Road  Untravelled series. Jungle Eyes. 

This is a familiar one, Drought from the Landscape series.

This is Remnants- Detritus from the landscape series when Tangled Threads had remnants as their theme. 

These are from a series designed for this exhibition. I was inspired on a now not so daily  walk through our paddocks, when I saw a busted anthill on the road. I think our bobcat blade had partially destroyed it when it was racing down the track one morning. I saw the openness of the inside structures and thought WOW! Shocking for the tenants, because they had to rebuild which they had already started to do. I thought about the similarity to coral. I decided to make 6 small pieces using a holey overlay technique over my strip pieced landscapes. Some overlays are batiks, some are organza, some stitching using 12 wt polyester thread, no longer am I scared of people seeing my stitching. Some holes have been created with a fine tipped soldering iron on crystal organza. 

I think there may be more to come in this series. After spending the last few months, working on it, I will wait to see where it takes me next.

This bright one was the first, the pink one is the current last. Am thinking of combining the crystal organza with the solid overlay in a few more pieces when time allows.

Family wise, we had the birth of a seventh grandchild in late March. Exciting and eventful, we welcomed a little boy into the family. All are doing well now. 

Australia wise, we had our triennial election for our government. Seems like we are becoming a more divided nation with heaps of nastiness. With our preferential system of voting, we have ended up with a Prime Minister who nearly 70% of the population don't want and he ends up with the top job. Wait and see what happens I suppose. Was interesting to read today, his pet dog now has his own twitter account. Maybe I need to modernise and get one too, so I can waste more time reading all his news. 

I think I have enough time constraints keeping up with my selected activities. Hoping for more spare time shortly, particularly with winter approaching. I also have my Tangled Threads group exhibit in July to complete yet. The Quilt Trail is on July 23/24 so have to help with that. Hope some of you can get to see my art there.