Meet the Maker 1-3pm Thursday 9 May: Suzanne Laird

Each Thursday throughout The New Quilt exhibition at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, an artist will be sharing insights into their inspiration and process. First up, from 1-3pm on Thursday 9 May is Suzanne Laird and her quilt Truth Decay. Come along and meet Suzanne. No pre-booking required.

Upcoming Thursdays 1-3pm

• Thursday 16 May: Alan Tremain
• Thursday 23 May: Anita Brown
• Thursday 30 May: Alison Winchester and Lisa Walton
• Thursday 6 June: Judy Hooworth and Val Nadin
• Thursday 13 June: Jenny Bowker and Sheila Beer
• Thursday 20 June: Kay Murray and Brenda Gael Smith

The New Quilt Prize 2024

Join Hawkesbury Regional Gallery curator Diana Robson for a floor talk about The New Quilt on Wednesday, 8 May from 11 am to 12 noon. Book online.

The New Quilt 2024 sees the introduction of two new awards. Congratulations to the prize winners:

• The New Quilt Prize $1500: Sue Dennis Tempest
• The New Quilt Prize Runner Up $500: Anna Brown Canopy 27
  

Tempest 135 x 100 cm 

The wind howls as foliage is flung around in a tempest. How to best capture the awe-inspiring natural event of a storm, using print and stitch in a very elemental form was intriguing. 

Hand dyed, hand printed with plant matter, machine pieced, machine quilted 

Cotton, batting, thread, textile ink, fabric dye 

Photographer: Bob Dennis

  

Canopy 27 173 x 180 cm 

Little of the eucalypt canopy survives after the ferocity of the bush fires. 

Raw edge reverse appliqué, machine pieced and hand quilted. 

Commercially dyed cotton.

The New Quilt 2024 Online Gallery 

View all of the finalists in The New Quilt 2024 Online Gallery.

Plan an art excursion!  

The New Quilt 2024, on exhibition at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, Windsor, NSW from 4 May to 23 June 2024.

The public program includes the following special events:

• Meet the Maker Thursdays: 1-3pm - no pre-booking required
  
• Sunday, 19 May, 1 to 3 pm: Artists in Conversation floor talk
• Saturday, 1 June, 10:30 am to 3:30 pm: Workshop with Jessica Wheelahan, Artful Stitching with Sustainable Materials

Book online at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery

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 2024 Preview: Zara Zannettino

The final preview for The New Quilt 2024 is Bedazzled by Zara Zannettino from Highbury, South Australia.

Zara is a former Microbiologist and Biochemist. Over the last 20 years, she has transitioned from creating original quilt designs for commissions, to appraising quilts and tutoring. In recent years, Zara has found great satisfaction in taking up the challenge of entering juried national and international fine art and quilt art exhibitions. Zara typically depicts natural subject matter that is derived from her own macro-photographic observations. The awe-inspiring beauty and often unappreciated details found in nature are what drives many of Zara’s choices in her art. Zara uses improvisational cut, raw edge-applique without the use of fusible webbing or templates. This spontaneous approach allows her to take advantage of the subtle colours and opportune patterns found within hand-dyed fabrics. The final product is further enhanced by the multi-layering steps of free-motion machine, thread-sketching and quilting texture across the various fabric and batting layers.

 

Plan an art excursion!  

The New Quilt 2024, on exhibition at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, Windsor, NSW from 4 May to 23 June 2024.

The public program includes the following special events:

• Friday 3 May from 6 pm: official opening and awards ceremony
• Wednesday, 8 May, 11 am to 12 noon: Curator’s talk with Diana Robson
• Sunday, 19 May, 1 to 3 pm: Artists in Conversation floor talk
• Saturday, 1 June, 10:30 am to 3:30 pm: Workshop with Jessica Wheelahan, Artful Stitching with Sustainable Materials

Book online at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery

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 2024 Preview: Alison Winchester

Alison Winchester of Bulli, New South Wales created Sheep Eat Grass from merino and Corriedale wool.

Alison was interested in textile design and making traditional quilts when she was in high school. Over many years' experience making quilts for her children and friends, it led her into into textile art based on our beautiful landscape in NSW. Alison's body of work is from paddocks to wall piece using the natural Australian grown wool, produced locally, from her brother's sheep farm at Majors Creek NSW. She composes work that reflect Australian landscape by piecing together and composing disparate elements taking the viewer back to simpler times. Alison reflects the time old tradition of using what is available at hand to use in her art. See more of Alison's artwork at: 

• www.alisonwinchester.com
• IG: @alison.winchester
  

 

Plan an art excursion!  

The New Quilt 2024, on exhibition at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, Windsor, NSW from 4 May to 23 June 2024.

The public program includes the following special events:

• Friday 3 May from 6 pm: official opening and awards ceremony
• Wednesday, 8 May, 11 am to 12 noon: Curator’s talk with Diana Robson
• Sunday, 19 May, 1 to 3 pm: Artists in Conversation floor talk
• Saturday, 1 June, 10:30 am to 3:30 pm: Workshop with Jessica Wheelahan, Artful Stitching with Sustainable Materials

Book online at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery

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 2024 Preview: Grace Widders

Grace Widders explored the possibilities of wedges to create a desert landscape entitled 2-3-4.

Grace is an intuitive, award winning quilter with a long practiced background in design and technique. Her love of the Australian wagga style of quilt is reflected in much of her work. As a teacher by trade, she is well versed in ensuring her students have a solid foundation of skills.

Plan an art excursion!  

The New Quilt 2024, on exhibition at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, Windsor, NSW from 4 May to 23 June 2024. Official opening and awards ceremony from 6pm on Friday 3 May 2024. RSVP to the gallery.

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 2024 Preview: Jessica Wheelahan

Life in The Anthropocene is a commentary of global warming by Jessica Wheelahan. It is made from reclaimed scraps of fine silk, wool and cotton from the fashion industry here and overseas.

Jessica is a Sydney-based artist and educator. She has created using textiles as her primary medium for the past ten years and has exhibited original work worldwide. Since the acquisition of her MMXX Quilt in 2021 by the Powerhouse Museum, Jessica has worked mainly on the creation of large- scale text based compositions which are laboriously constructed and stitched from found materials. Jessica is also inspired by traditional quiltmaking conventions and enjoys using scraps via improvisational piecing methods. Alongside this practice, she regularly collaborates with fashion designers ‘Romance Was Born’ to create one off couture patchwork pieces for catwalk shows and is a high school educator of visual art and design. In 2022 she authored a book of designs with French publisher Quiltmania. Follow Jessica on Instagram at: @birdie_beetle

Join Jessica for Artful Stitching with Sustainable Materials, a workshop on 1 June at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery with a focus on hand stitching techniques and processes for the sustainable use of materials. Book your workshop place!

Plan an art excursion!  

The New Quilt 2024, on exhibition at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, Windsor, NSW from 4 May to 23 June 2024. Official opening and awards ceremony from 6pm on Friday 3 May 2024. RSVP to the gallery.

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 2024 Preview: Lisa Walton

Tidal Flow by Lisa Walton is composed of layered felt, enriched by free-motion quilting.

Lisa has been awarded many prizes for her quilts including major international and Australian quilt shows. She teaches internationally and was awarded the Jewel Pearce Patterson Scholarship for Quilting Teachers by the International Quilt Association Houston USA. Lisa’s quilts have been exhibited in solo and joint exhibitions and her work is included in collections in the USA, Australia and the UK. Her book – Beautiful Building Block Quilts was published by C&T Publishing. She has appeared on Quilting Arts TV and The Quilt Show. Lisa was a Board Member and then President of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA). She is now teaching and lecturing virtually online as well as producing a series of Quilt Stories on her YouTube Channel. See more of Lisa's artwork at: 

• www.lisawaltonartist.com
• Facebook: lisawaltonart
• Instagram: @lisawaltonartist 
   

Plan an art excursion!  

The New Quilt 2024, on exhibition at Hawkesbury Regional Gallery, Windsor, NSW from 4 May to 23 June 2024. Official opening and awards ceremony from 6pm on Friday 3 May 2024. RSVP to the gallery.

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