Meet The New Quilt Artist: Barbara Gower

 

Name of Artwork: Black Summer

Barbara has sewn for as long as she can remember, joining the women in her extended family as dressmakers, embroiderers and quilters. Her first English piecing in 1975 was taught by her mother. One aunt, a professional dressmaker, allowed her as a child to play in her scraps from bridal and evening gowns. So began her love of silks.

Barbara attended the first Sydney Quilt show and joined the guild soon after, which gave her the opportunity to attend many workshops and develop new skills. She has exhibited in most exhibitions since 1991.

Completing the TAFE Commercial Needlework Course in 1995, joining the Southern Highlands Textile Fibre Network and then the Macarthur Textile Network encouraged her to become more creative.

Barbara became interested in quilts for public places when involved in the construction of the Cowpastures Heritage Quilt for Camden Council in 1995. Since then she has been involved in many community projects including the mammoth task of creating the Carrington Quilts with five others, for a new facility at Carrington Care, Camden.

Barbara used her skills as a trained school teacher to teach patchwork, quilting, embroidery and textile art for groups, shops, evening colleges and privately for many years.

Her interest in Japanese textiles began as a teenager when her father gave her mother a kimono from Japan. This has developed over the years into a collection of vintage kimono textiles, particularly Meisen silks which she is using to extend their life. Often this means mending in the Boro style. She happily mixes machine and hand techniques and incorporates papers in many works. Barbara also creates work using the Korean Bojagi technique.

Inspiration for work comes from her natural surroundings, particularly trees and seasonal changes in her large country garden. Often the fabrics themselves inspire ideas.

The New Quilt, on exhibition at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, Windsor, NSW from 5 February – 11 April 2021. 

Gallery hours: Open 6 days a week Monday, Wednesday-Friday 10am-4pm Saturday-Sunday 10am-3pm. Closed on Tuesday and public holidays.