Where Are They Now? Brenda

right here, right now
Greetings from the Serendipity Studio at Copacabana.  This was the outlook this morning:

On the design wall, I have some studies and samples for my Lines of Beauty workshop as I work on refining some teaching notes.  I am really looking forward to teaching an expanded, 4-day version of this class at Grampian Textures retreat in March 2017:

On the workbench, I have fabrics sorted for my next project.  I feel a dyeing day coming on. More purples are required!

On the studio floor is a half-packed suitcase for my trip to Adelaide next week.  A selection of my works will be on display at the Festival of Quilts Morphettville Racecourse, Adelaide from 30 September - 2 October 2016 (open 10am-4pm daily).

On the spare bed, two large new works are rolled up, ready and waiting for an appropriate time to be revealed to the world (note the pink Diane!):

And next to my TV chair, is a project made from luscious wool felt.  Stitching has such transformative power:

the bigger picture
When we wound up our final cycle of group challenges on 12/12/12, I embarked upon a personal challenge to deeply explore certain themes and motifs first arising in my Twelve by Twelve works.  In particular, I was keen to concentrate on working in a larger format.

This graphic shows the development of my lupin-inspired works since the PurpleYellow challenge in 2010:

 

High Country Lupins #3 (80x143cm) was juried into Art Quilt Elements 2016

 

 

 

Other examples include:

From Bush Tucker Tracks (12x12in) to Desert Tracks: Not Terra Nullius (57x109cm 2013) which was juried into  Art Quilt Australia 2013: People, Place & Nation and also Quilts=Art=Quilts 2014.

From Binary Code #2 (12x12in) to Dreamlines#7: Dreaming in Colour (131x72cm 2014):

From Sweet (20x12in) to Kelp Pods (106x84 cm 2016):

I look back to the Twelve by Twelve years and marvel at the number of works that I produced - not just the official contributions but the scores of other small studies I made along the way. No doubt our collaborative project was a great stimulus along with regular deadlines and group accountability. Moving to working in a larger format brings new challenges: physical - handling large works is taxing; engineering - corralling all those small pieces on the design wall; and, of course, time - especially when you stitch works as intensively I do.

a matter of time

The notion of time is intriguing and sometimes paradoxical. It is at once rigid and fluid, fleeting and interminable, tangible but elusive, and abundant yet scarce.  How the ‘fourth dimension’ of time is observed, manifested and experienced is at the heart of my latest curatorial project - a matter of time. This is a travelling exhibition of 32 works each measuring 100x40cm.  Deborah Boschert's work Rising and Setting is pictured below second from the left:
 

The exhibit is currently on tour in South Australia.  My next curator floor talk is at the Craft & Quilt Fair, Adelaide at 12.30pm on Thursday, 3 November only.  If you can't join me in person, check out the online gallery.  A catalogue is available for purchase too.

The exhibition continues on tour until late 2017 (see tour program).  It is booked into New Zealand National Quilt Symposium: 5-10 October 2017 where I will be teaching and judging (AND catching up with Kirsty!) and further international venues are under negotiation.  I'll keep you posted!

Being a Twelve has had an enduring impact on my creative practice.  I am so grateful to Diane for inviting me to play and for the support, encouragement and enthusiasm of the other Twelves. The internet is a wonderful thing! You can follow my current projects on Facebook, Instagram and my blog.