Meet The New Quilt Artist: Jennifer Bowker AO

 

Jenny took up quilting in 1997 as she finished a Bachelor degree in Visual Arts as a mature age student. Initially it was a change from a background in science and the four years of painting - then she realised that anything that can be done with paint is more visually interesting in fabric. It is tactile, colours looks richer, and it is in many ways seen as a language for women.

Jenny developed this idea as she taught in many parts of the world. She frequently worked in countries where women not only relied on the work for an income, but wanted a creative outlet. Sewing was often one of very few ways that women could work for an income without criticism.

Because she is married to an Australian diplomat (now retired) Jenny lived in five countries where Islam was a major influence. In Egypt she worked closely with a group of Egyptian men known as the tentmakers, and she was influential in bringing their work as skilled applique artists to the eyes of the world though a quilting network. Other significant influences on her work included experience in working with women in Palestine, Iran and Syria, and integrating the motifs and techniques of traditional vernacular textile culture into a modern idiom.

Name of artwork: Pod

Jenny Bowker online: Website   

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.