April 2016

Our April meeting was a little different than normal, well, all our meetings will be a little different from now on for a little while. This is because Guild Headquarters, where we normally meet, is undergoing some major renovations. So our group has decided to go out into the wider world to have our meetings while this construction work takes place. Each meeting will be held in a different place to help inspire us.

So our April meeting was held at the Art Gallery of NSW. Three of our members turned up for a very inspirational day of wanderings around the Gallery, both inside and out. First on the agenda was coffee in the park from where could be seen that one of the Gallery's pillars was a rainbow of colour. Closer inspection revealed that the column had been encircled in lengths of twisted yarn.

On entering the gallery, the girls immediately came across a second textile work and discovered that both pieces were created by Sheila Hicks for the Biennale of Sydney. The second work was a collection of strategically placed wrapped poles and medallians. Eyes were dancing around from one shape and colour to the next, and fingers were  itch to begin wrapping.   

'The Questioning Column’ and ‘The Embassy of Chromatic Delegates’ started our creative adventure for the day. 

Robyn and Wendy agreed with Sheila’s suggestion to see Art Express next.  Art Express is an annual exhibition showcasing some of the works by year 12 students completing their higher school certificates.  

This year’s exhibition has raised the bar to a higher level with an emphasis on drawing.  There was an increased level of maturity and professionalism in the works on display.  A number of works could easily be selected for special mention for the artistic endeavours of the students but it is difficult to narrow it down to only a few.  The work that resonated with me was Laura Myers’ ‘Ode to Arte Povera’.  This piece thumbed its nose at canvas and instead presented a rusty decrepit interpretation of architectural structures drawn and/or painted onto assembled cardboard scraps. 

The drawings of Veronica Xu’s ‘Pay the Price’ raised concerns about consumerism and the environment with a very clever twist.  Monh Monh Ly’s ‘Deliverance’ explores her family’s journey in a collection of matchbox books.  Eternity Lim presents ‘Where the Wild Things Aren’t’ in her work with black and white drawings of buildings thrown into 3D and interspersed with dugongs attempting to survive in the urban setting.  The stunning portraits of Christy Uen Ting Chan’s ‘What will we become’ combine environmental concerns with aging issues in a unique manner.  These are only a few of the outstanding works on display.  You will not be disappointed if you make an effort to attend.  More information about Art Express can be found at:

http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/artexpress-2016/

After a very stimulating morning it was off to the Courtyard café for lunch. 

Being in a public space, and travelling by public transport, show and  tell was a little subdued. We may have to work on other ways to solve that problem. Sheila did make some brooches for the Guild's sales table, and being little, managed to bring them along for the day. Pictured at the top of this post, they depict gorgeous faces stitched by Sheila, using surface stitching and appliqué. They were left overs from a recently made quilt

This was a molar that Sheila had been gifted by her visiting sister. The molar had been purchased in Panama last year.

Although having family commitments on the day, Jenny had still managed to achieve some multi hooping. Multi hooping is a term applied to digitized machine embroidery, when a design has to be hooped multiple times to get the full design. The trick is to get everything matching up with each extra hooping. In the test piece above, Jenny has stitched two rows of scallops, both about 50cm long, taking six hoopings in all. The scallops will eventually be trimmed, then used to decorate a bag. The full story of these scallops can be found on Jenny's personal blog. 

Refreshed, The girls  visually travelled to China with the ‘Tang’ exhibition.  The exhibition

explores life in Chang’an (modern day Xian) during the Tang Empire from 618-907.  There were a number of artefacts from the dynasty including gold, silver, ceramics and sculpture.  A favourite piece was a well satisfied looking earthenware camel driver on his camel.  His face could control a thousand camels!  The ceramic statues of various ladies also caught our eyes.  A virtual tour of a Buddhist grotto was an interesting experience.

The day at the Art Gallery proved successful and inspirational to those that attended. Refreshments were definitely the order of the day, and the group look forward to our next meeting.