Kate Ward: November 2011

Sunday, 27 November 2011

Three French Hens go on an adventure

My three French hens have been getting ready to go on a BIG adventure.

They've packed their bags and have left their farm in rural France to go travelling and see the world.

First stop...... Paris, of course!

Here are some holiday snaps of them in front of the Eiffel Tower. They are amazed at how beautiful the structure is...

Three French hens in Paris is a limited edition tea towel print of 15. You can find them at Strathnairn Gallery in Canberra until Christmas or online.

I have been flicking through inspiring magazines and found a lovely image by UK textile artist Julie Black. She creates beautiful images by layering, stitching and embellishing fabrics. Below is an image of her work....

Julie Black's work inspired my French hens to be appliqued rather than screenprinted. And I love the result. Stay tuned to see where the Three French Hens visit next.

Thursday, 17 November 2011

Featured in Womans Day

I was flicking through Womans Day (as you do) after a little bird told me that my Paris Balcony Heart cushion was featured in The Style File....

And here it is

You can buy the Paris Heart Cushion online at Blue Caravan - an online site which supports and promotes direct trade with emerging and independent designers. They insist on ethical production both locally and overseas, and love fairtrade or sweat-free certification. Blue Caravan believe that objects ‘warmed’ bydesigners, artists and artisans have aquality like no other… and that ‘ethical’is no longer a choice separated fromstyle and design.

My kinda thinking too :)

Friday, 4 November 2011

Queanbeyan Art Trail 2011

Last weekend I participated in an Arts Trail around Queanbeyan hosted by Georgina from the Queanbeyan City Council. We had a glorious day and I saw some studios that I didnt know existed, and visited some galleries Ive been meaning to go to for quite some time.

First stop was scones jam and cream at Benedict House. Kate Shelton, the clever lady who lives and is the brains behind it has just published a book 'love of a laminex table' and it looks fascinating.... the photo was taken after we had indulged in morning tea - and it looks a little like the Mad Hatters Party :)

Then we went to Curtis Glass Studio - tucked behind a house, next to a pet store, I didnt realise this place existed. We were very fortunate and had a personal demonstration on how glass is blown by Mathew Curtis and his two young sons as assistants .... amazing! We got front row seats :)

Following that we then visited Cheryl Hodges- an amazing botanical water colourist ... I couldnt resist and bought a couple of her prints on cards, including the image below

By this stage we were ready for lunch which was served (with bubbles - of course) in the dappled shade under the lilac blossoms of wisteria at the back of Ouh Wah! Gallery. I enjoyed the meal so much I totally forgot to take a picture.

Bubbles with lunch had set the tone for the afternoon and when we arrived at the newly opened Form Gallery we were greeted with a glass of red. Owned by printmaker Claire Primrose and showing works by Claire, Maxine Price (Claire's mum who makes beautiful ceramics) and Paul Summerfield. Maxine has just finished a series on Bess of Hardwick who was the most amazing woman who was the second richest lady in 16th C England. Second only to the Queen! A pretty amazing feat considering there were laws that women couldnt own property at that time!

Our last stop of the day was the Artist Shed Studios. Here we were welcomed with more bubbles, a live band and a tour of the studios and galleries. Ive been meaning to check this place out for quite some time, so it was nice to finally see it :)

It was a thoroughly enjoyable day. A big thank you to Georgina and Queanbeyan City Council for putting together a delicious feast of art and food. Well done!