Postcard Portraits - "Travelled" Exhibition

Recently, I've created a few portraits and it is always interesting to try different techniques. For a "travelled" theme exhibition, the Wednesday Makers Group at Timeless Textiles was invited to create some postcard portraits. It was a great opportunity to use "random cross stitch" , a technique I learnt in the textileartist.org workshop by Sharon Peoples.

The cross stitch helps to create a textured skin with subtle changes in tone. My husband, Jim, is the subject - here depicted on a trip in Finland ( Finnish forest in the background) This postcard is all handstitched and as Jim always travels with a paper map , I added a much loved map in miniature.

The whole collection of postcards by the group captures travel memories of places visited and enjoyed - places like Hawaii, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Vietnam, Bali, India, Fiji , Latvia, Lord Howe Island, Disneyland, China , Germany, Finland, Ukraine, Bhutan, Italy, France, Japan, Egypt and various locations in Australia.

My second postcard portrait was of the Kumari, the child living goddess revered in Nepal, with a Buddhist stupa in the background. For this one, I used coloured pencils ( Inktense and Prismacolour) and hand and machine stitching, with some tassel making and wrapping for the headdress.

The third submission for this projects is called "Immigrating to Australia". Rather than recall a travel memory, this postcard portrait is a transferred photo of my great grandmother who travelled from China to Australia to settle in 1909. Here she is seen in full formal Chinese dress and her tiny bound feet can just be seen poking out from under her long robe. The background for this postcard is crazy patchwork in subdued colours, with handstitching.

The postcards are a small part of a much larger exhibition of textile art created by the renowned UK artist, Anne Kelly and all the artworks, including the postcards, can be viewed in the gallery until 7 August or online.

Comments

Too Precious to Waste

Stitched tea bags/ old doily "tea lights" - Wilma Simmons More than a year ago, a decision was made. The annual exhibition of NCEATA ( Newcastle Creative Embroiderers and Textile Artists) 2015-2016 will have the theme "Mottainai". Mottainai in Japanese refers to more than just physical waste (resources). It is even used to refer to thought patterns that give rise to wasteful action. Grammatically, it can be used in Japanese as an exclamation ("mottainai!") or as an adjective phrase ("it feels mottainai"). There is no plural form. The collection of mottainai things could be called mottainai koto ( もったいない事 ? ). As an exclamation ("mottainai!") it means roughly "what a waste!" or "Don't waste." [2] A simple English equivalent is the saying "waste not, want not." A more elaborate meaning conveys a sense of value and worthiness and may be translated as "do not destroy (or lay waste to) that

'Anything Goes" and It Does Matter.

When 'anything goes", does it follow that "nothing matters" ? .... I think not. When I interpret "anything goes", I think it means taking a few risks and experiment, but also care about what you are doing and finding a purpose in the process. Currently, the Tag Tuesday theme is "Anything Goes" ... This describes my daily art practice at the moment. I am doing #the100dayproject and each day I am responding to weekly published colour prompts #coloricombo, curated by artist, Este McLeod. During the last week, the suggested colours were jade green, primrose, vermillion and purple grey. Each day, I've been trying to experiment with colour and technique with the goal of developing and learning. Here are some of the tags I created using these colours, or at least as close as I could manage with stuff from my stash... I have titled these "Fragments from Afar" as all of them feature an image or a postage stamp from somewhere far from

Wednesday's Child /2

Work in Progress - 3 of the 193 for "Stitched Up"- Wilma Simmons The work for the "Stitched Up " Project continues. See the previous "Wednesday Child" post for the background to this art project celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Newcastle Industrial School. I have been documenting the progress of my work, so I thought it might be interesting to share some of the early stages of the "stick dolls" ... Here are some of the beginning steps.. Sticks collected while walking the bushland in my neighbourhood Drying and getting rid of any insects - oven heat 75 degreesC for approx 1-2 hours. Trimmed and cut if necessary Ends sealed with matte sealing solution. Drying - solution goes on white but dries clear. First wrapping - foil to create a body shape Second wrapping - stretch fabric. Third wrapping - fabric strips Some stitching - more stitching and embellishment to come. Follow thi

Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

Search This Blog