Last night the exhibition Tempestuous Nature was
officially opened at Creators Artspace, Lincoln Causeway,
Wodonga.
I was invited to join the exhibition by fibre
artists Cathy Upton and Leanne O'Toole. Cathy has on display results of
eco dying on silk, cotton and wool cotton mixes. Leanne's works are in
the form of bags - cloth, felted and both. Also on display were two
felted wearable art dresses on which Cathy and Leanne had collaborated. One of
the dresses was a winner at the Wool Fashion Awards in 2014. Their
work is amazing and I was really chuffed to be asked to contribute work - but
rabbits? Well it worked.
Henrietta is the bunny that started this
journey. Leanne had seen Henrietta and thought that rabbits would
fit the eclectic mix of fibre art.in the exhibition.
Henrietta is a true mixed media
creation. I wanted to try clay over cloth which is how her face came
about. Her ears are florists wire and papier-mâché made from tissue
that came with a new pair of shows. Henrietta’s little jacket was a failed
felting experiment. The felt came up a treat in its new
guise. Pants were made from a scrap left over from some long
forgotten project.
 |
| Bunnies in the buff posing with One of Leanne O'Toole's Cloth bags and two of Cathy Upton's eco-dyed scarves |
Bunnies in the Buff
These little fellows are made from a test scrap of
cotton fabric that Cathy eco dyed. I just loved the
colour and the bunnies have such an exuberant feel about them that I couldn’t
clothe them.
I just gave them simple embroidered faces and lovely fluffy tails made from
unspun sheep wool.
In making my bunnies I have tried to imbibe them with
something of a tempestuous nature. If
you look you may find that they are have elements that are emotional,
passionate, intense, impassioned, fiery, unrestrained, temperamental, volatile,
excitable, mercurial or unpredictable.
I have endeavoured to stick to the principle of not buying
anything in making the bunnies. Remembering where lots of the bits came from
has added to the fun I have had in making bunnies for this exhibition.
As adults, we often eschew childhood toys and forget the joy
they gave us. These bunnies are toys
for adults and can be hung on the wall or sit on a shelf. I will post more photos over the next couple of weeks. I hope my bunnies give you as much pleasure
as they do me.
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