a needle pulling thread…

‘a needle pulling thread…’, an exhibition opening at Timeless Textiles gallery on 21 March, will profile the diverse textiles-based works of Newcastle born artist John Parkes.

Ranging from small, densely hand-stitched brooches to layered and hand-stitched blankets, the array of works on show in this exhibition showcase John’s practice over the past 10 years.

“I use recycled, second-hand or gifted cloth in my work and haven’t bought new cloth in more than 10 years,” John said. “I find that the slow process of layering and hand-stitching cloth is a form of meditation.”

John trained in textiles in Western Australia, under the tutelage of Elsje van Keppel (1947-2001) and taught textiles techniques, printmaking and drawing in TAFE and university art schools for 20 years. He returned to Newcastle in 2011 to be closer to his family. John is represented in the collections of Edith Cowan University, The State Library of Queensland, Artspace Mackay and The Janet Holmes å Court Collection as well as private collections throughout Australia.

a needle pulling thread… will be opened from 6-8pm on Thursday, 21 Marchby Brett Alexander, Principal Lecturer and Coordinator of the Fibres Textiles Studio, University of Newcastle, and will run until 14 April 2013.

“The Hunter is home to a surprising number of leading textile artists whose work I will feature alongside national and international artists in our inaugural new exhibition, “Revealed: Uncovering the Beauty of Fibre Art” which opens Thursday 25^thAugust and runs for 3 weeks. This opening exhibition will introduce eighteen of the artists who will be featured in solo exhibitions over coming months.

The inaugural exhibition will be opened by the well known Fine Art Program Convenor  at University of Newcastle Dr Kathryn Grushka.

“There is increasing interest and appreciation of the fine skills involved in creating beautiful textiles, the ability to transform fibres into exquisite forms of art.

Building on Newcastle’s avant-garde approaches to art, Timeless Textiles will focus on new works by local and international textile artists using techniques such as felting, dyeing, quilting, surface embellishment and design as well as  and fibre jewellery. As well as the art featured during exhibitions there will be a selection of pieceswhich would make unusual and beautiful gifts, suitable for all budgets.

“I have created a space especially designed for fibre art to expose the fine skills of textile artists and to claim its place as a collectable and desirableart form,” said Kempton. “There is increasing interest and appreciation of the fine skills involved in creating beautiful textiles.  This Gallery will also offer workshops for people interesting in learning the processes involved in fibre art.”

The workshops will provide an opportunity for anyone interested to experience the wonder of fibre art and textile design in a day workshop – on your own or with your friends. “This is a chance for people to learn new skills, brush up on their techniques and most importantly to enjoy themselves” enthused Anne “I hope to see you there!”