My life plays out as such a crazy pace that I never seem to find enough spare time to write about the exciting projects that swallow so much of my attention.
My personal projects are all too often abandoned, sometimes when oh-so-close to being finished, due to the need to direct my full attention to some worthy cause or other. I love worthy-cause projects. They inspire and stimulate me. However, I do sometimes regret my inability to better balance my commitments.
Nearly two years ago I built myself a new website, but it has sat there unlaunched ever since. All because I didn't make the time to find the key person to walk me through the complexities of changing my domain name and associated emails across to the new platform.
I was unwilling to make the website visible until it had the correct domain address, but now it already needs updating and of course I am too busy with my current project to do that. So here is a sneak preview of my new (2 year old) website, still awaiting transfer to my correct domain name, but in the meantime available for viewing at its (hopefully) temporary address!
wendylugg.wordpress.com
Let me know what you think.
In my next post I'll tell you about my current worthy cause...
Showing posts with label textiles (my work). Show all posts
Showing posts with label textiles (my work). Show all posts
Wednesday, 13 May 2015
Monday, 1 September 2008
a studio respite
Amidst a busy year where computer and committee tasks seem to dominate, and struggling to find room to work in my overcrowded home studio, I decided I needed some extra motivation if I was ever going to start a new body of textile work. So, with my painter friend Di Taylor, I applied for a temporary studio space which had become available in the city as part of an initiative by Artsource and the City of Perth to bring working artists into the city. Much to our delight we were the successful applicants and we have the use of this wonderful space for two months, courtesy of the building owners the Hawaiian Group.
Our studio work space
The studio is huge, over 200 square metres, and in a prominent position in Parmelia House. The front five metres of the main studio space is glass street frontage, so we are using this as display space.
The front display area of the studio with my works 'Patch Work VI' and 'Aftermath' on the left and Di's painting 'Pink Lemonade Evening' on the right.
Again, my textile work juxtaposed with Di's painting
Yes, that is ALL our studio as far as you can see!
What we did NOT anticipate was the stripping of the opaque film from the 17 metres of internal arcade windows, exposing our work space, and work habits, to the world! We have hung more work in these windows, but there is plenty of room to see us work nonetheless.
We leave the doors open to encourage people to visit, and gradually they are feeling more comfortable about doing this.
The view through the side door
The studio is providing me with the luxury of physical space to spread out, but even more important is the mental space it affords to escape from my other commitments and focus on exploring ideas and processes as I contemplate commencing a new body of textile work. I don't need much space to MAKE work, but I need a lot of space to think and plan.
That activity requires me to spread fabric out all over the place as I play with various possibilities, and even just rediscover what I have in the way of resources.
My portable foam pin-up boards are proving very useful
and my vintage clothes airer is perfect for stacking ironed fabrics
It's early days yet, but if at the end of the eight weeks I feel I have some idea of where I am headed, then the time will have been very well spent.
Our studio work space
The studio is huge, over 200 square metres, and in a prominent position in Parmelia House. The front five metres of the main studio space is glass street frontage, so we are using this as display space.
The front display area of the studio with my works 'Patch Work VI' and 'Aftermath' on the left and Di's painting 'Pink Lemonade Evening' on the right.
Again, my textile work juxtaposed with Di's painting
Yes, that is ALL our studio as far as you can see!
What we did NOT anticipate was the stripping of the opaque film from the 17 metres of internal arcade windows, exposing our work space, and work habits, to the world! We have hung more work in these windows, but there is plenty of room to see us work nonetheless.
We leave the doors open to encourage people to visit, and gradually they are feeling more comfortable about doing this.
The view through the side door
The studio is providing me with the luxury of physical space to spread out, but even more important is the mental space it affords to escape from my other commitments and focus on exploring ideas and processes as I contemplate commencing a new body of textile work. I don't need much space to MAKE work, but I need a lot of space to think and plan.
That activity requires me to spread fabric out all over the place as I play with various possibilities, and even just rediscover what I have in the way of resources.
My portable foam pin-up boards are proving very useful
and my vintage clothes airer is perfect for stacking ironed fabrics
It's early days yet, but if at the end of the eight weeks I feel I have some idea of where I am headed, then the time will have been very well spent.
Monday, 14 April 2008
An afternoon of discovery
Following on from my previous post, here are further images from my Jetty Series , some of which appeared in the "Connecting Threads" exhibition.
My work evolves from my life experiences. Walking the length of the Bussleton Jetty on a bleak grey afternoon, I was drawn by the unfolding stories in the jetty’s surface.
They spoke of life.
My work evolves from my life experiences. Walking the length of the Bussleton Jetty on a bleak grey afternoon, I was drawn by the unfolding stories in the jetty’s surface.
They spoke of life.
The jetty is aged and weathered, bearing the scars of hard times and makeshift repairs. 
There is evidence of the occasional left hand turn 
and even a little blood letting. 
The jetty wears all these marks with dignity and grace. A lifetime of hard experience has enriched this wonderful old structure, ensuring that an afternoon spent in its company is a deeply rewarding experience.
Saturday, 22 March 2008
Jetty Suite
In the "Connecting Threads" exhibition I followed a path to which I am increasingly drawn, of showing both textiles and photographic images. Usually the relationship is subtle, but in this instance they spoke more directly to each other.
"Jetty Suite 3", 40 cm (16 inches) square
The photographic images show old and weathered surfaces,
so it seemed appropriate to use old recycled blankets as the base for the related textiles.
"Jetty Suite 1", 40cm (16 inches) square
This detail shows the use of hand stitch to build up depth of colour.
"Jetty Suite 2", 40 cm (16 inches) square
Look for the photographic partner to this piece in my next post, when I talk about my source of inspiration.
"Jetty Suite 3", 40 cm (16 inches) square
The photographic images show old and weathered surfaces,
so it seemed appropriate to use old recycled blankets as the base for the related textiles.
"Jetty Suite 1", 40cm (16 inches) square
This detail shows the use of hand stitch to build up depth of colour.
"Jetty Suite 2", 40 cm (16 inches) square
Look for the photographic partner to this piece in my next post, when I talk about my source of inspiration.
Saturday, 8 March 2008
connecting threads
My first post for 2008 delivers an untold tale from 2007. Marjorie Colemen, Margery Goodall, and Cherry Johnston live and work in my home town of Perth, Western Australia. I count these women among my closest friends and colleagues.
While our art practices are independent and varied, we have formed a strong bond through our shared focus on working with stitched layered textiles. We meet regularly, taking advantage of the opportunity this affords to exchange information, share ideas, and engage in lively and stimulating discussion.
All of us exhibit internationally and have travelled extensively, but we are happy to be based in Western Australia. We don't see Perth's isolation as a disadvantage in a world where communication is so easy.
After working together over the years on other people's projects, we realised it was time we mounted our own joint exhibition. Connecting threads was held in September 2007 at the Gallery at Ellenbrook, as part of Artopia, the biennial festival celebrating the talent of Western Australian artists.
I exhibited both textile works and photographic images. This installation view shows stitched textile works from my Jetty Suite.
My work again, photographs and a quilted piece.
I will show more detailed images later.
While our art practices are independent and varied, we have formed a strong bond through our shared focus on working with stitched layered textiles. We meet regularly, taking advantage of the opportunity this affords to exchange information, share ideas, and engage in lively and stimulating discussion.
All of us exhibit internationally and have travelled extensively, but we are happy to be based in Western Australia. We don't see Perth's isolation as a disadvantage in a world where communication is so easy.
After working together over the years on other people's projects, we realised it was time we mounted our own joint exhibition. Connecting threads was held in September 2007 at the Gallery at Ellenbrook, as part of Artopia, the biennial festival celebrating the talent of Western Australian artists.
I exhibited both textile works and photographic images. This installation view shows stitched textile works from my Jetty Suite.
My work again, photographs and a quilted piece.
I will show more detailed images later.
Sunday, 9 December 2007
Australia Wide
My days have been so full of compelling activities that I've been slow to find the rhythm of writing, and my jottings have been somewhat more occasional than intended. As the year draws to a close and life calms down a little, some retrospective jotting seems in order.
The time leading up to my trip to India was especially busy. In between mounting two exhibitions here in Western Australia (more on those on a later occasion), I participated in the selection of works for an exhibition initiated by Ozquilt Network, Australia's national organisation for art quilters. Australia Wide was designed to showcase the talents of Ozquilt Network's members and to demonstrate the scope of art quiltmaking in Australia.
As a juror, I was also invited to exhibit. My quilt Jetty Suite 4 , like all works in the exhibition, is 40 cm square. Made from recycled blankets, it was inspired by the weathered wood and rusty painted surfaces of the Busselton jetty.
a detail of Jetty Suite 4
I always feel honoured to be invited to jury a show, a process which brings equal measure of pleasure and weighty responsibility. In this instance, the selection process was a long distance affair, with the three jurors scattered from coast to coast, across 3,000 kilometres and three different time zones. The cost of bringing us together would have been prohibitive, but with the wonders of modern technology we were able to view the images via a CD slideshow on our computer screens and communicate with each other via email.
This was an interesting means of jurying, much more protracted than my previous jurying experiences. A process which is necessarily confined to several intense hours when the jurors are brought together within the confines of one room was extended to days, as we each in our own time viewed the works and reported our initial response, then discussed, reviewed and negotiated until we reached a final consensus via numerous email communications. I appreciated having the luxury of viewing the works repeatedly over a number of days, so that decisions made were more fully considered than is usually possible.
As well as touring to venues around Australia, Australia Wide can be viewed on Ozquilt Network's website, www.ozquiltnetwork.org.au I urge you to take a look, there is a wonderful variety of work to be seen.
The time leading up to my trip to India was especially busy. In between mounting two exhibitions here in Western Australia (more on those on a later occasion), I participated in the selection of works for an exhibition initiated by Ozquilt Network, Australia's national organisation for art quilters. Australia Wide was designed to showcase the talents of Ozquilt Network's members and to demonstrate the scope of art quiltmaking in Australia.
As a juror, I was also invited to exhibit. My quilt Jetty Suite 4 , like all works in the exhibition, is 40 cm square. Made from recycled blankets, it was inspired by the weathered wood and rusty painted surfaces of the Busselton jetty.
a detail of Jetty Suite 4
I always feel honoured to be invited to jury a show, a process which brings equal measure of pleasure and weighty responsibility. In this instance, the selection process was a long distance affair, with the three jurors scattered from coast to coast, across 3,000 kilometres and three different time zones. The cost of bringing us together would have been prohibitive, but with the wonders of modern technology we were able to view the images via a CD slideshow on our computer screens and communicate with each other via email.
This was an interesting means of jurying, much more protracted than my previous jurying experiences. A process which is necessarily confined to several intense hours when the jurors are brought together within the confines of one room was extended to days, as we each in our own time viewed the works and reported our initial response, then discussed, reviewed and negotiated until we reached a final consensus via numerous email communications. I appreciated having the luxury of viewing the works repeatedly over a number of days, so that decisions made were more fully considered than is usually possible.
As well as touring to venues around Australia, Australia Wide can be viewed on Ozquilt Network's website, www.ozquiltnetwork.org.au I urge you to take a look, there is a wonderful variety of work to be seen.
Friday, 13 July 2007
Ashore
It seems my first missive did wash ashore somewhere. Thankyou Alison for your kind comment. Alison spoke of my 1998 quilt 'Tidemark, Cape Tribulation', which she saw in the book 'Quilting Masterclass' written by Katharine Guerrier. 'Tidemark' was inspired by a walk along the beach at Cape Tribulation in northern Queensland, where the rain-forest sweeps right down onto the sand. The tidemark is a crazy jumble of rainforest detritus such as twigs, seedpods and leaves which overwhelm the usual seaweed and shells.
Rain-forest litter is washed back up onto the beach by the tide.
This image taken at the high tide mark sparked the idea for my quilt 'Tidemark, Cape Tribulation'.
'Tidemark, Cape Tribulation'
72 x 92 cm (28 x 36 inches)
printed, pieced, appliqued, embroidered
detail
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