Untamed outback inspires new exhibition

Judi Nikoleski has a solo exhibition of her vivid and evocative textiles at Timeless Textiles Gallery in Newcastle from November. The award-winning artist called the exhibition UNTAMED as it captures her experience of travelling from Adelaide to Darwin through central Australia.

Judi’s art quilts begin with silk screen prints on dense white Japara cotton. She uses a range of materials as resist objects under the screen. From natural leaves, branches and feathers to throw-away or found items like chopsticks, string, packaging and buttons, the resists create unexpected textures. These form the base images for over-painting with vibrant dye colours. Intense quilting with coloured threads completes the works with richly textured surfaces.

The UNTAMED exhibition includes framed dry and wet felted landscapes created in response to Judi’s outback journey. She felts a wide range of yarns and fibres on to acid-dyed, woven woolen backing. These works are also very richly coloured and textured. 

Judi Nikoleski is based near Lake Macquarie. Her work has received multiple awards for surface design, creative use of dyes and pigments, textile portraiture and landscape.

UNTAMED is at Timeless Textiles Gallery at 90 Hunter Street, Newcastle from 2 November to 6 December 2020.