Meet The New Quilt Artist: Margery Goodall

Name of Artwork: Beating the Blues

Margery Goodall works with stitched textiles and mixed media. She is inspired by the natural world and her urban environment. In 2020, she worked exclusively with found materials and waste.

Her work is held in private collections in Australia and overseas, and in the collection of the International Quilt Museum in USA. 

Most recently, her work was exhibited in Hanging by a Thread at the Holmes a Court gallery @ No10 and she was a finalist in the York Botanic Art Prize 2020 which selected work by artists in all Australian states.

She has convened juried textile exhibitions, open to both Australian and international artists in Tasmania, Victoria, and the ACT, while in WA she was convenor of the stitched and bound 2003 exhibition at Fremantle Art Centre. In 2020, she was joint-curator for selecting artworks for the Marjorie Coleman-Lyrical Stitch solo retrospective exhibition that exhibited at the Holmes a Court gallery @ No10 from 17 October to 28 November 2020.

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.

Meet The New Quilt Artist: Fiona Gavens

Name of Artwork: Picnic Rug

Fiona Gavens is a textile designer based in Melbourne.  She has broad experience developed over a lifetime of involvement with textiles, particularly patchwork, quilting, embroidery, knitting and dressmaking. 

Her multiple careers include being a freelance quilt artist, exhibitor and teacher for many years; manager of a regional conservatorium; and university and arts administrator. As a self-taught artist she embraced the opportunity to develop formal design skills in her studies of B.A. (Textile Design), RMIT University, graduating in 2018.

Fiona is a “hands-on designer”, developing the work through the construction process. Graphic shapes, bold colour and texture have always featured strongly, whatever the medium. The Japanese concept of wabi-sabi has been a strong influence, and led to Fiona developing “systems for randomness”.

In Picnic Rug Fiona deconstructs woven checked rugs, then reimagines them to create a pieced quilt.  The "textured" construction enhances the play of light on the silk. 

Fiona Gavens online:  Instagram

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.

Meet The New Quilt Artist: Lorinda Freeman

Name of Artwork: Keeping Tally

A mark made for every Victorian diagnosed with COVID-19 until the task became to onerous and depressing.

Name of Artwork: Shattered

Hopes and dreams of many people are shattered as a result of COVID-19, the more the numbers rose the further away people and places became.

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.

Meet The New Quilt Artist: Dianne Firth

Name of Artwork: Change

For landscape architect Dianne Firth, textiles are a vehicle for her to explore issues related to the Australian landscape. Landforms, water and vegetation, at a range of scales, as well as the ephemeral qualities of weather all provide inspiration.

She selects materials and colour in a symbolic manner. Through a process of abstraction, she manipulates light, line, colour and texture to convey the message, create moods and evoke visual and emotional responses.

For example, the work Change was created following the bushfires in eastern Australia at the end of 2019 and into 2020. Not only were lives and property lost, but the visual change to large tracts of much-loved native forest was immediate. Tracts of light-coloured trunks of Eucalyptus forest became black charred remains.

This change has been captured in two panels, notionally one before the fire and one after. Although the number of vertical lines on each panel is the same, the effect of figure and ground is quite different. The colours of the cotton material were chosen to reflect the before and after fire forest colours. The off-white net base enables shadows of the tree trunks to be cast on the wall behind, referencing the airiness of the forest.

Dianne is recognised, both nationally and internationally, through her works in juried exhibitions and public and private collections.

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.

Meet The New Quilt Artist: Rachaeldaisy Dodd

Name of Artwork: Sheer Joy

A lifelong interest in colour and design led Rachaeldaisy to delve into various crafts as a child, then a career as a creative florist for 20 years. She discovered patchwork and quilting in the early 2000s and halfway through her first quilt, she was hooked!

"A Kangaroo on a Pogo Stick" is how Rachaeldaisy describes her quilting style. "I jump around using different colours, styles and techniques. One minute I’ll be making a quick colourful scrappy liberated quilt and the next quilt will be a slow project of hand sewn YoYos."

She links it back to her experience as a florist, "In the flower shop, I would make a delicate posy of pretty spring flowers and then turn around and create a big modern tropical arrangement. In that same way I enjoy the wide variety of styles and techniques quilting has to offer."

Whilst honouring the tradition of quilting she strives to find fresh ways to interpret conventional designs. Her use of 3D elements such as YoYo Suffolk Puffs, Prairie Points, Ric Rac, appliqued and pieced denim come together to create beautiful, unique works.

Rachaeldaisy’s fresh interpretation of the art of quilting has seen her quilts awarded many prizes including several Best In Show awards, Most Innovative, and Viewers Choice prizes. Her quilts have been exhibited in quilt shows and galleries and featured in publications both nationally and internationally. Her book Whizz Bang - Adventures with Folded Fabric Quilts has inspired quilters around the world.

When Rachaeldaisy isn’t travelling to teach workshops she is at home in the Blue Mountains, with her supportive husband, Mr Daisy, and a garden full of native birds.

Rachaeldaisy online:  Website  Facebook  Instagram

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.

Meet The New Quilt Artist: Grace Di Muzio

Name of Artwork: Lock down Sunset

Grace has always had a fascination with textiles. As an art teacher and then educator at the NGV, she was able to immerse herself in the best of artistic practice, both historical and contemporary. This has not only broadened her understanding of art and design but given her the confidence and freedom to develop and indulge her own creative process. Supporting students and adults of all ages engage with art continuously empowers her to create and make.

She particularly enjoys using preloved fabrics; dyeing, printing and manipulating them to transform them into something new. She loves to play with pattern using silk screen and block printing motifs. She delights in experimenting with various sewing techniques and loves the way textures are created by layering pattern, colour and stitch.

When not at work, you will often find Grace in her small ‘work room’ behind the garage testing ideas with pigment and fibre, with her faithful furry companion Neo by her side.

Grace Di Muzio online: Instagram

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.

Meet The New Quilt Artist: Sophie Conolly

Sophie uses techniques that have ‘women’s work’ connotations - sewing, embroidery, papier mâché - the type of work which has been performed quietly, meditatively and often privately by women over centuries, primarily to mend and repair. This is how she works - quietly and privately - and as the process has evolved, personal themes have emerged: of childhood innocence, loss, remembrance and mourning.

The art making process has been slow, careful and largely unconscious - the work comes from a deep place inside her that is asking for a little love and light to be shined on to it – ‘to be seen’.

This work is focussed on the moment in Sophie's childhood that had such a huge impact on the rest of her life: the death of her father when she was 13, a traumatic event that was left unaddressed until many years later.

When her father died Sophie was at boarding school in England. After he died the sense of isolation was profound. She also felt abandoned and rejected by her French mother. Creating this quilt from her mother’s prized collection of precious 'papiers d’agrumes’* has been a cathartic experience. The light shining above is a replica of her soft toy ‘seal’ which was a great source of comfort at the time.

The materials Sophie choose are invariably ones that hold familiarity and from which she can draw comfort as she simultaneously work out confronting themes. Tea paper in particular is a recurring material.

In essence, Sophie is stitching to repair and connect the past to the present, the good memories with the bad. The artmaking process has allowed her to say good bye, to give herself permission to grieve and to strengthen her sense of self.

*Vintage (1950s-1980s) French papiers d’agrumes (printed tissue paper). Wrapped oranges were commonplace in France during the 1950s-60s, but are now a rare find - seen as disposable, most were destroyed.

Name of artwork: Tuck Me In

Sophie Conolly online: Website  Facebook  Instagram

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.

                      

Meet The New Quilt Artist: Alison Charlton

Like many textile enthusiasts, Alison’s creative journey began as a small child collecting and sewing remnants of fabrics from her mother’s sewing projects. She loved the different colours and textures of the fabrics and gathered a treasured box of favourites.

About ten years ago, having made numerous quilts for family and charity fund raising, Alison began to look toward her own designs. Her career as a Plant Biologist, and interest in the environment, were a source of inspiration for many of her textile pieces. She is currently working on a series that examines relationships and connections between people and with the environment.

Colour, design, light and perspective are four elements that she has been exploring in each of her textile works. Alison finds the process of beginning with white fabric, and being involved in each stage of the design process, very rewarding. She frequently incorporates ancient techniques, such as shibori, indigo and fibre reactive dyeing, cyanotype and screen printing.

For Alison, the most challenging and rewarding thing about working with textiles is the excitement of learning new skills, improving what she already knows or meeting someone with a new and innovative approach.

Name of artwork: 2020: urban graffiti

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.

Meet The New Quilt Artist: Sandra Champion

Name of artwork: summer inferno #5

The bushfires in Australia last summer were catastrophic.

Landscape left blackened and lifeless.

Only piles of melted corrugated roofing and rubble remain where homes once stood.

Garden paths lead nowhere.

Everywhere there is devastation.

 

Name of artwork: summer inferno #8

A huge wave of orange came down the mountain.

The cataclysmic bush fire in the World Heritage forests left blackened trees and millions of dead animals.

It is impossible to comprehend.

Rusted, painted, oiled, collaged, patched. Hand and machine stitched and fused to a silk foundation. Machine quilted. Vintage kimono silks, vintage papers, corrugated cardboard, perle cotton, repurposed dressmakers pattern tissue, silk.

Sandra Champion online: Webpage 

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.

Meet The New Quilt Artist: Anna Brown

Anna graduated from Sydney College of the Arts in 1977, and has been creating art quilts since the 1990s.

Anna was exhibition secretary for the Quilters’ Guild (now QuiltNSW), and then joint coordinator of The New Quilt with Judy Hooworth, jurying the Green Show in 1997, the sixth New Quilt exhibition at the Manly Art Gallery and Museum. Anna has also been on the Ozquilt Network committee as membership secretary.

Anna is primarily inspired by nature, her immediate environment in the Great Lakes area of New South Wales, where she has lived for eleven years. Photographs and sketches of the local flora are the starting point in the creation of her abstract quilts. She works up an appliqued design on a whole cloth, then cuts into it and repositions the fabric pieces into a new pieced and appliqued image. Her work is largely intuitive and experimental, and she enjoys all parts of the creative process.

Anna has exhibited widely in Australia and overseas, including Quilts=Art=Quilts, Schweinfurth Art Centre, New York, and Quilt National 2017, 2019 and 2021, Ohio USA. Her quilts have been featured in many books and magazines around the world. Anna is represented in many private collections in Australia, U.K. and the USA. She also has a quilt in the International Quilt Museum, Lincoln Nebraska.

Name of artwork: Canopy 18 Burning

Anna Brown 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.

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.

Meet The New Quilt Artist: Sheila Beer

Name of artwork:  No Warmth Nine Patch

Artist Statement: One of the many problems of the homeless is finding comfort in warmth. For many years, paper and cardboard were the mainstay. But that is shifted to plastic in more recent history.  Neither product can ever be the substitute for a home.

Sheila Beer online:  Instagram

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.

Meet The New Quilt Artists: Amie Andrews and Marilyn Andrews

 Name of artwork: Circular Permutation [collaborative work]

Name of artwork: In the Fold [Amie Andrews]

Amie Andrews is a textile and visual artist based in the Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia. Her work spans weaving, quilting, textile design and illustration. 

Amie Andrews online:  Webpage  Instagram    

       

Marilynn Andrews

Marilynn Andrews is a draftswoman, quilt designer and teacher based in the Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia. An artist, sewer and crafter, Marilynn started designing and drafting her own quilt patterns in the 1990’s which led her to teaching in the early 2000’s.

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.

The New Quilt 2021: Previews, Profiles and Public Program

QuiltNSW is excited to relaunch The New Quilt at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, Windsor, NSW from 5 February – 11 April 2021. The New Quilt is a juried survey exhibition showcasing the art of quilting that reflects the richness and diversity of contemporary expressions of the quilt medium in Australia. Throughout January, we will be sharing a daily preview of each of the selected quilts along with an introduction to the relevant artist(s).

Plan an art excursion! Subject to COVID-19 restrictions, here are the gallery hours: 

• Open 6 days a week Monday, Wednesday-Friday 10am-4pm
• Saturday-Sunday 10am-3pm 
• Closed on Tuesday and public holidays (eg Easter)

Hawkesbury Regional Gallery is situated at 300 George St, Windsor and is accessible by car and public transport.  See the gallery's How to Find Us page for more information.

The public program at the gallery includes the following in-person events. Bookings essential:

• Sunday 7 February 11am-12noon: join jurors Anna Brown and Judy Hooworth as they share insights about factors that informed their selection and reflect on the development of quilts as an art medium.
• Wednesday 10 February 11am-12noon: Join HRG curator Elissa Blair for exhibition insights. 
• Thursdays 1-3pm: meet an artist - more details to come
• Sunday 28 February 11am-12noon: artist floor talks
• Saturday 6 March 1-3pm: Quilting Basics workshop - English Paper Piecing to complement the heritage quilt, Miss Grace’s Quilt,  that will be on display in conjunction with the exhibition. (This workshop will be conducted with a video screen and social distancing in place.)

Information about virtual events will follow.

For information about exhibition tours and group bookings, please contact the gallery directly at:

gallery@hawkesbury.nsw.gov.au

 

The New Quilt 2021: Announcement of Selected Artists

After years of planning, QuiltNSW is excited to relaunch The New Quilt on exhibition at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, Windsor, NSW from 5 February – 11 April 2021.

The New Quilt is a juried survey exhibition showcasing the art of quilting that reflects the richness and diversity of contemporary expressions of the quilt medium in Australia.

The call for entries encouraged entrants to: submit their best work reflecting their creative practice; “Think big, think bold – be adventurous!”; and to explore different ways of presenting their work. A panel, comprised of artists Judy Hooworth and Anna Brown and Hawkesbury Regional Gallery curator Elissa Blair, selected 40 works from over 100 entries. 

The New Quilt Selection Panel: Judy Hooworth, Anna Brown and Elissa Blair
pictured with Anna Brown's invitational artwork CANOPY 18 Burning

Congratulations to the selected artists:

A comprehensive public program is under development with both in-person and virtual events. Mark your calendars. Plan an art excursion!

2020 Suitcase Challenge

 Don't forget our 2020 Suitcase Challenge closes on 30 November! You can find the entry form here.

The New Quilt: One Month Reminder

Calling all Australian textile artists! Entries for The New Quilt closes at 5pm Friday 2 October 2020. That gives you 33 clear days to complete your artwork! Enter online at: www.thenewquilt.com

The New Quilt, a juried survey exhibition showcasing the art of quilting, will be on exhibition at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery in Windsor, NSW from 5 February - 11 April 2021. Large and dimensional works welcome. Think big, think bold - be adventurous! QuiltNSW encourages you to explore new ways of presenting your work.

Open to all artists resident in Australia. Lower entry fee for QuiltNSW members. Join QuiltNSW now at reduced rates.

Sydney Quilt Show 2020 Cancelled

The QuiltNSW Committee has carefully considered the Sydney Quilt Show 2020 in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and has decided not to go ahead with it. This does not mean that the Sydney Craft and Quilt Fair is also cancelled.  At this stage, Expertise Events is still planning to hold the Fair from 29 October – 1 November 2020.

There are many reasons for our decision.

Firstly, BERNINA Australia, the principal sponsor of the Best of Australia Award has recently announced there will be no Best of Australia award for 2020.  The quilts judged as Best of Show in each state and territory during 2019 will be held over until 2021.  There will be no BERNINA Best of Show winners during 2020.  This is a significant change to the nature of the competition we offered member entrants back in March.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many other changes and considerable uncertainty still remains. The Committee did not want to commit member funds and considerable time by members to planning and preparing for the 2020 Show that could not be guaranteed to go ahead. We considered it prudent to cancel now before further funds and volunteer resources were committed.

Most importantly, the Committee is concerned for the health and wellbeing of members during the preparation, installation, and management of our Show.  We considered how we could undertake this safely, and we came to the conclusion that it would not be reasonable nor responsible to ask our members to volunteer their time.

The ramifications of this decision are as follows:

• The raffle will not go ahead this year but instead be held at the Sydney Quilt Show 2021 and all subsequent raffle quilts will be held a year later than planned.
• We will contact Sydney Quilt Show 2020 entrants soon regarding the return of their entry fees.

Whilst you, like the Committee, are no doubt disappointed that the Sydney Quilt Show will not take place in 2020, we hope you understand the difficult decision we have had to make.

We know that there will be a time when we can return safely to the events and activities that we love as quilters. We are already making plans for what we hope will be an exciting 2021!

The New Quilt Entry Form is Now Open!

QuiltNSW recognises the quilt medium as an art form and is committed to providing opportunities for textile artists to share their artwork in a gallery setting. The New Quilt online entry form is now open and closes at 5pm on Friday 2 October 2020.

The New Quilt, a juried survey exhibition showcasing the art of quilting, will be on exhibition at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery in Windsor, NSW from 5 February - 11 April 2021. That's more than two months to share your artwork in a fantastic, gallery space. Large and dimensional works welcome. Think big, think bold - be adventurous! QuiltNSW encourages you to explore new ways of presenting your work.

The New Quilt is open to all artists resident in Australia whether or not they are QuiltNSW members. However, a lower entry fee applies to QuiltNSW members and QuiltNSW is currently offering membership at reduced rates: see QuiltNSW membership form

Download Conditions of Entry & Entry Form Checklist or see www.quiltnsw.com for more information about The New Quilt.

Please share this announcement with others.

Inquiries to: thenewquilt@quiltnsw.com

Join or renew online today at discounted rates!

Membership of QuiltNSW is due for renewal by 30 June.

The Committee has decided to reduce the annual fee by 25% for those who renew or join by 30 September, 2020. After that date, the fees will revert to the previous fee structure. If you renew or join after 30 September, there will be an additional $15 joining/late fee.

The following fees apply up until 30 September, 2020:

Individual membership $45
Junior/Full time university student $18
Family membership $63
Junior group $37
Group membership $75
Overseas individual $45

For full details and online membership form, visit QuiltNSW webpage.