June

I have always enjoyed drawing and needlework from a very young age. I became interested in patchwork and quilting during the early 1980s. My beginnings were with traditional designs but very soon I began changing these designs and developing my own ideas and style. Inspirations for my designs are nearly always taken from nature and especially from aspects of Australia. There are so many elements of texture, colour and ‘atmosphere’ from which to draw. I love the remote places where my husband and I enjoy camping and generally feeling at peace in our surroundings. Over the years I have attended many classes conducted by both Australian and overseas teachers. I have done some teaching in Wangaratta and a little elsewhere. I have exhibited in many exhibitions and won some awards. I have enjoyed creating my own fabric which begins with white homespun. After the basic colouring has been done there are many more layers of colour and shape that can be added by a huge variety of methods. It is this range of possibilities which led me to the small Art Quilts I have enthusiastically produced. For the last 11 years I have worked in a threesome with Yvonne Voss and Susan Mathews. Our small group, ‘ZigZag’ has produced 4 exhibitions which have resulted from some wonderful days of experimentation and development of our skills. Members of ‘ZigZag’ all enjoy a challenge. These challenges are then formed into exhibitions of all our quilts together. It is a very rewarding exercise and being a member of such an enthusiastic group has given me the impetus to strive for greater artistic excellence. During the last few years I have become interested in Eco and Bush dyeing. Eco dyeing is a technique to dye with natural dyes available from your garden and from bushlands rather than using synthetic dyeing methods. The resulting colours are much softer and more 'down to earth'! I term 'bush' dyeing the experience of dyeing while in the open and collecting bark and leaves from the nearby surroundings. It is an ideal experience to include while bush camping. There is always a mystery about the unexpected results from working over a camp fire. Generally I use silk or woollen fabrics for this method.

Currently I am working on smaller art projects which are mounted on a backing to hang rather than hanging as a wall quilt.