Watt’s return exhibition captures fragility and change

A return exhibition by accomplished textile artist Sylvia Watt marks the reopening of Newcastle’s Timeless Textiles gallery in June. 

The aptly-titled Flux exhibition began at an artists’ retreat at the North Stradbroke Island Research Centre in mid-2018. Watt was part of a collective of nine artists, who came together to respond to the constant change in this unique ecosystem. The retreat resulted in the Tidal exhibition at Redlands Regional Gallery in Cleveland Queensland. 

Watts’ silk installation was part of the show. 

“I was taken by how fragile this island is,” she explains. “It is put under constant stress by the taking of resources.”

Watt struggled to capture the beauty and diversity of the island ecosystem. She found a solution by stitching her silk using thread that had been rubbed over the surface of the watercolour studies she had created at the retreat.

“I had the pallet,” she said. “I kept the sense of fragility at the front of my mind and the form began to take shape.”

Watt referenced the island’s human history by incorporating textiles found in nearby bushland. They had blown there long before from a historic graveyard. 

The work on display in the Flux exhibition is a continuation of this inspiration. It builds on the sense of fragility and changeability in the work, while changing the form in a state of flux. 

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‘Handstand’ exhibition traces artist’s recovery

Handstand, a new exhibition opening at Newcastle’s Timeless Textiles Gallery in July, is an emotional record of recovery by artist Sylvia Watt from a bad fall.

The Brisbane-based fibre artist’s fall resulted in months of operations and rehabilitation. Handstand, her fourth Newcastle exhibition, reflects her experience.

Sylvia had used her dominant left hand to create extraordinary artworks over her 30-year career. She lost 70 per cent of movement in her left-hand when she smashed her wrist and fractured her spine in the fall. She was filled with despair and fear at not being able to continue with her passions – feltmaking, stitching and her daily practice of drawing.

“My art has been my savior during my recovery,” she said. “I was able to let go of my previous approach to making art to create a true work in progress.”

Sylvia began drawing faces as a small girl, doodling on scraps of paper in an attempt to capture her subjects’ feelings. Handstand includes works capturing the faces that she drew whilst recovering and other vibrant experimental works made in the weeks and months post-fall, often with a full cast or splint on.

The artist’s passion for textiles and textures have continued to inform this work.

“The eye is the most important for me, the rest I can let go,” she realised during her recovery.

Sylvia has been a felt-maker for over 20 years, exploring surface textures, mixing up materials, while retaining the clarity and integrity of each material used. Exploring organic forms, using mostly fibres combined with paint and ink, has been at the heart of her work.

Handstand opens from 6pm – 8pm on 20 July and continues until 13 August 2017.

Exhibition brings The Italian Eye to Newcastle.

A new exhibition by Brisbane-based fibre artist Sylvia Watt, opening at Newcastle’s Timeless Textiles Gallery in October, brings to life the colours and textures of Italy.

Sylvia Watt returns to Newcastle for her third exhibition, The Italian Eye, which was inspired by a three-month sojourn in Italy.

Speaking of her exhibition Sylvia says she was first drawn to the colour and texture of the walls.

“What a feast for the eye! Colour, texture and form have always been central to my work and these elements draw me in. The body of work for this show comes from the walls, which speak to me.”

They walls became the backdrop in which the artist frames dogs and churches. Although not a dog person, Sylvia found herself following the dogs she saw in Italy – which were often solitary and wandering from place to place but always with a sense of purpose – trying to capture their expressive poses.

“The cathedrals and churches provided a divine backdrop to my endeavours,” she adds.

Sylvia’s technique combined the random texture of the Italian walls, using ink and paint, and then overlaying the images that had drawn her eye. She then added stitch to anchor the work and to reinforce texture and line.

Sylvia has been a felt-maker for over twenty years, exploring surface textures, mixing up materials, while retaining the clarity and integrity of each material used, blending them while maintaining their individual identity. Exploring organic forms, using mostly fibres combined with paint and ink, has been at the heart of her work.

The Italian Eye Exhibition opens on 22 October from 6pm – 8pm and continues until 15 November 2015.

Food meets fibre in Taste of Textiles exhibition.

Taste of Textiles, is being launched Saturday 12th December 2014, at Newcastle’s Timeless Textiles Gallery, which celebrates a passion for humble and exotic, seasonal food and the rich textures of fibre arts.

Taste of Textiles exhibition brings together work from 20 fibre artists from around the world displaying their passion for textile art, cooking and growing food. This creative venture will appeal to everyone with a love of food and a flair for the creative. Artists contributing to Taste of Textiles include Nicola Henley, Marjolein Dallinga, Polly Stirling, Sylvia Watt, Glenys Mann, Judy Hooworth and Meredith Woolnough to name a few.

The contributing artists have represented a variety of vivid produce in their works, including the humble potato, mulberries, beetroot, saffron and rose petals. Each has created a visual narrative based on and inspired by their love for that particular produce.

Inspired by the artists’ passion, local cook Bev Whitehead has created and tested simple recipes to mirror the artworks. These include lemon myrtle spelt shortbread, chilli jelly, fig affogato, pomegranate with rosewater jelly with Persian Fairy Floss.

A limited edition boxed set containing stunning images of the both the final dishes and the artwork that inspired them, beautifully captured by local photographer Garrick Muntz is also available at the opening.

Opening: by Janet De Boer at 2pm, Saturday, 13 Decemberand continues until 23 December 2014.

The Ties That Bind.

The make up of the body

The structure of cells.

Cross sections of bones and veins,

Pathways that cross

It goes on & on..

I could work with this for the rest of my life

But would I want to …

Sylvia Watt has been an artist all her life, graduating with a degree in Fine Arts from East Sydney Technical College in 1982. She has exhibited widely in group and solo exhibitions, has been artist-in-residence with Flying Arts Queensland and in Hamilton Arts Post, New Zealand. For the past ten years she has been the arts program coordinator at a private hospital in Brisbane.

Sylvia has worked extensively with textiles for more than twenty years, as a maker and teacher.

Media Release coming soon.

Watch this space.

Media Release coming soon.

Watch this space.

“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!”