What...How....Why?

The beauty of being a textile artist is that one has ZILLIONS of techniques to play with in the pursuit of creating a work of art. Such choice is overwhelming for my personality type,  so I choose to specialise in one technique....contemporary reverse applique.  Providing myself with the safe boundaries of one discipline liberates me to use the technique creatively, & within the context of that creative space, explore other techniques as well.

I hear you asking....what is contemporary reverse applique?

It is a variation of the reverse applique technique used by the Cuna Indian women of the San Blas Islands, in South America. They create Molas, brightly coloured designs symbolising the myths & stories of their culture, which are stitched into panels to later adorn the blouses they wear.

And how do I do it? Let me show you the basic process...

 I start by choosing a variety of fabrics, which will 'colour' each space of my design.  In this case I am about to make a book cover with a contemporary reverse applique motif on the front. I have selected 7 different fabrics to include.  I layer them with the background choice at the bottom, and the uppermost fabric as the outline choice.

 Having traced my design onto the top layer with a white marking pen, I then sandwich all the layers together & machine sew the design through the whole lot.

Now the fun begins! I cut the fabric away from around the stitching, creating an outline.

I then proceed to cut back the next layer of fabric... and the next....so that fabric is exposed only where I want it to be!

I cut, trim & fray the edges of each fabric until it fulfills my design concept & then I iron it!

The final process is embellishing, which I do with stitch and beading.

I was first introduced to this technique whilst studying art in the UK. Many years later I spent a week developing further skills with contemporary reverse applique artist, Susan Schapira, who was a tutor at a TAFTA Forum in Australia.

What attracted me to it was the fun....the surprise of cutting back the layers.  Even with the planning involved in the design process, there is still a sense of magic & surprise when those layers are snipped away. I love revealing what is hidden & in other parts of the design...concealing those fabric gems beneath!

Contemporary reverse applique is a time consuming process with a high risk of mistake making! For me, those attributes add to it's appeal!

Why "The Art Of Cleaning"?

I am sure that I am not the only creative person who would rather be in the studio making something beautiful, than slaving away at the household cleaning! Some people opt NOT to clean, but for the well being & protection of my family & for the maintenance of our home...I choose to clean, relatively frequently!  That doesn't mean I like to do it!

Many years ago, however, I was cleaning the bath tub, when I noticed that the hair caught on the side of the bath was twisted into a beautiful shape.  Being an art student at the time, I pulled out my visual diary to record it.  Ever since then, I have approached cleaning chores as having the potential for unexpected inspiration.

For this exhibition I have concentrated on the bathroom, kitchen and laundry as sources of creative design possibility! Some of those possibilities I share here;

What does this clump of hair on a bathroom tile look like to you?
For me it is a jellyfish calmly floating through the ocean.

Look at the way the water droplets fall on the shower tiles. They make the smooth glossy tiles look rough like pebbledash!

Look at the reflection on these tiles, the shades & lines creating intrigue & a sense of depth.

Detergent & water interacting with fat in the frying pan conjures up imaginings of a moonscape....!

A tea stain at the bottom of a porcelain cup. Tonal shades and irregular rings that don't need to represent anything...they are simply, just beautiful!

Looking down upon dishes on the draining board. A kitchen landscape? Crop circles????? Did you ever consider how many CIRCLES we have in our kitchens?

This tub contains my family's discarded jeans from the past 20 years! Just imagine how many loads of laundry that represents!!!

Do you ever look at your laundry once it is hanging on the line and see...prayer flags? Or foliage on a tree?


This gives you an idea of where my inspiration for this upcoming exhibition has come from. I have let my imagination explore where it will & I look forward to sharing some of those mind-meanderings with you....soon!