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.