Minute details in the natural world have inspired a fascinating exhibition by textile artist Lois Parish Evans, opening at Newcastle’s Timeless Textiles Gallery in June. In the Nature’s Abstraction exhibition, Parish Evans’ work uses nature as the starting point for her journey into abstraction.

 “The minutiae of nature have long been a source of interest and inspiration,” she said. “The shape of a leaf, the vibrant colour of a flower, an autumn leaf, or the textural foam on a wave. All these and so much more  inspire my creativity.”

 The artist is constantly seeking to find the extraordinary within the ordinary.

 “Shape, colour, line, texture has all piqued my interest,” she says. “The ordinary things, which are often fleeting and missed if not quickly captured.”

 Over time Parish Evans has moved through stylisation of what she sees in the natural world to become more abstracted. While the initial element that has inspired the artist is often still recognisable, it has been through a process of abstraction. The image is deconstructed to its essence and then expanded out again in a process of reconstruction, which sometimes adds a touch of mystery. Is it a flower, a chrysallis? Is it viewed through a microscope? Or perhaps it is an entirely new world, species or cosmos?

 “My process is a personal response to the possibility of something new and different, a shift in the process of thinking and creating,” Parish Evans explains.

 This exhibition records her personal journey to abstraction. It records her unique response to the natural world. Moving towards abstraction has brought creative freedom for this artist.

 “It allows me to let go of control and to trust internal cues, which come from years of working with the elements of design,” she explains. “The process becomes a dialogue between creation and creator. It is the result of responsive interaction with the unfolding story of the work.”

Nature’s Abstraction exhibition runs from 12 June to 7 July, with the opening from 6 to 8pm on 13 June 2019

‘Exuberance’:  the quality of being full of energy…luxuriance
‘Luxuriance’:  rich abundance, lushness…

Busy lives mean we often filter out much of the natural environment around us, it becomes ordinary and seemingly unremarkable.  We live in an extraordinary world if we take the time to stop, and experience it we can feel a greater sense of connection and appreciation toward the world we live in.

We are reminded of the importance of this by Australian Social Researcher Hugh Mackay in his book “What makes Us Tick?” where he discusses one of our basic human desires being connected to nature.   ‘Natures Exuberance’ exhibition is a minute example of one artist taking the time to see the lush growth, the exuberance, the vibrancy, the luxuriance as well as the colour, pattern, line and structure in nature; in the street, in the reserve, in the bush, in the landscape and in the ocean.

Lois’ art work is about reducing the subject matter to its most simple and beautiful form before expanding it out again, sometimes using artistic licence to playfully add her own creative flair in re-imagining the subject. In her work an example of a leaf or petal design is enriched using colour, pattern, line and structure as she seeks to portray the exuberance, the vitality, the energy, richness and luxuriance of what she sees.

Exhibition runs 13 Sept – 8 Oct 2017 with the opening on Thursday 14 Sept 6-8pm

Coastal Colours…an exhibition by Lois Parish-Evans.

In Coastal Colours, a new exhibition opening at Timeless Textiles, artist Lois Parish-Evans explores the landscapes and creatures of the Australian coastline, taking a broad look at what is on the surface, beneath and in the micro-world of the coast.

Parish-Evans, who has a degree in Visual Arts, a postgraduate diploma in art education and a Master’s in art therapy, has spent most of her life exploring the coastlines of the countries she has lived in.

“For these works, I was able to draw on memories of colours, shapes, patterns, line and texture,” she explains, “on my memories of snorkeling as a child on the coral reefs of Papua New Guinea, of brief or extended visits to my hometown in coastal NZ and of my three decades of living on the coast of Newcastle.”

During a recent visit to Seahorse World in Northern Tasmania, Parish-Evans became captivated by the creatures. Their ability to change colour to suit the environment inspired her to create artworks incorporating them.

“While drawing on memories, I also use photographs and drawings to translate the colours, shapes, lines and texture that I ‘see’ – my personal visual language – into thread paintings, hand-coloured art quilts and contemporary lace. My eye is constantly searching for, being drawn to these design elements in the organic landscape.”

Parish-Evans seeks inspiration in the images that she is drawn to and brings that back to her studio and her artwork. Sometimes it is the colour, sometimes the shapes, sometimes the line, sometimes the texture and sometimes a combination. Her stitched artwork is executed by free machining on fabric (i.e. not computerised). She is able to ‘draw’ with the sewing machine, using thread to give voice to her visual language. Using a simple technique, the artist ‘draws lines’ one stitch at a time.

“That stich becomes two, then three and gradually I am building up the image to give voice to the colours, texture, line, shape. It is many years of drawing with my sewing machine that has helped me to develop my own personal style,” she said.

The exhibition, Coastal Colourswill be launched at a Timeless Textiles opening, to be held from 6pm- 8pm on Thursday 19 September 2013, and runs until13 October 2013.