Page 52 - The Digital Cloth Holiday issue 2
P. 52
home studio and design company, Red – but the process, in turn, often
Zebra Designs. Over the past two inspires something new.
decades, I have been trying to balance
the 6 C’s - creative, corporate, As I’ve stated, I’m a bit of a ‘shiny
community and charity work, cancer, light’ person. I’ll be working on one
and children. project, and then a sparkle from
(not necessarily in that order!) another will pull me away. That
probably explains why my studio
I am a self-professed ‘unfocused’ contains so many ‘almost finished’
artist - constantly distracted by new projects. Making products capturing
ideas. My creative practice changes both the quality and history of the past
direction quickly. I have previously excites me. I cannot understand the
worked with resin, beads, painting, amount of money spent on
printmaking, dying, sculpture, wood- non-renewable/ recyclable resources.
work, silversmithing, millinery, sewing, Nothing is a discrete ‘one time only’
boot making, weaving, photography, event – everything we do has a flow on
lampshades, graphics …. I guess I effect.
can turn my hand to a lot of media –
which is probably why I have found For the last decade, I try to make at
a home in mixed media. My current least one wearable art creation a year.
range includes wearable art, through My wearable art is all waste-based,
lighting design, jewelry and theatrical incredibly time-consuming, but
headwear, combined with a fine art rewarding. I am fortunate to have had
practice. pieces in a number of awards around
Queensland, and have had images and
I believe that just because something my works appear nationally and
is no longer fit for its original purpose, internationally.
does not mean it has no value. I love
the thought of the history of things My wearable art pieces started from
before they were abandoned - Where the pages of discarded books and
have they been? Did they bring joy? recycled clothing; but have moved
Insight? Change? through creations featuring travel
brochures, drinking straws, plastic
My work is ‘responsive’ – mainly to my bottle lids, discarded artificial flowers,
whim. I make what I like and hope cardboard offcuts, video and movie
other do too. I make what I like – great films, and most recently, used teabag
for self-fulfillment, not so good for tags.
business!
My inspiration comes from anywhere – The preparation takes between 80 and
a new piece of pretty junk, a bunch of 100 hours. For example, the
stones, a picture in a magazine, ‘Origami Dress’ has about 350
inspirational work of others, a origami flowers, comprising over with
photograph, a vague idea, a failed 13000 folds; ‘Butterfly Garden’ Dress
project, a dream ... Often the image I has around 2.5 km of hand cut paper
have in my mind, and what is actually loops; ‘I’ll Drink to That’ uses 2500
created, are two very different things plastic straws; and ‘Let’s T’ is made
