Imbricate – Quilts and other textiles

Textile artists share their love of land and water

Take a journey through Australian waterways and landscapes in a unique exhibition by leading textile artists Alison Muir and Dianne Finnegan at Barometer Gallery in Paddington from 17 to 28 August.

In Imbricate – Quilts and other textiles, both artists share the fruits of their fascination with the physical environment – Muir’s preoccupation with water, Finnegan’s with the land.

Muir has experimented with natural dyes and mordants, using indigo and Australian flora as her source material over the past 10 years. She starts with a “water message” and the design is generated using appropriate research, techniques, colours and stitching with unconnected traditions such as dyed textiles and political comment, scientific details and text in natural dyed textile landscapes and seascapes.

“All my works deliver messages, sometimes political, environmental and always passionate about our water environment,” Muir said. “Textiles and my creative art continue to give my life value as part of my rehabilitation from an ongoing neurological condition and I’m delighted to be able to share that in this exhibition which has special significance for me.”

Finnegan’s affinity to the landscapes around her and landform development was sparked by her early study of Geomorphology and, following her later study of quilt-making in Canada, the themes flow through her non-traditional textile work.

“The two seemingly different fields both require spatial analysis and representation and gradually the two interests merged,” Finnegan said. “Mapping is an abstraction of the landscape and my quilts are a more abstract form of mapping.”

The lockdown provided the artists with an opportunity to focus on their creative endeavours and generate new works for their joint exhibition.

“Two of these quilts are a product of my productive period in lockdown and I’m inspired to share my love of landscapes and the art of quilting to established as well as new audiences, especially as quilting has seen a resurgence in recent years,” Finnegan said. “Textile art, particularly using recycled materials, is more popular than ever due to the pandemic as it provides a therapeutic and healing way to relax and explore our creativity.”

Both artists have been widely exhibited internationally and nationally, with works represented in public and private collections.

Wednesdays 12pm to 8pm and Thursdays to Sundays 11am to 6pm.
www.muirandmuir.com.au
www.diannefinnegan.com.au

Images:
Dianne Finnegan, Laterite Profile.
Alison Muir, Last Frontier.