Description
Barbara Stepheson uses discarded woollen blankets and clothing. They bring memories and echoes of their past life and evoke feelings of cosiness and comforting childhood memories. The wool strips are fluid, and can be coiled, twisted, stacked and stitched. The complexity of fabric and thread merges to form a stylised Jacaranda. During spring, many Australian towns are coloured purple by Jacaranda blossoms. This piece relives the particular delight of lying on a purple carpet and squinting up through the lacy branches and flowers to a blue sprig sky.
Materials Up-cycled strips of woollen blankets and clothing, some hand dyed
Measurements (mm) H 560 W 550 L 55
Enquire about cost to post within Australia Contact exhibition@swellsculpture.com.au
About the Artist
Barbara Stephenson (Brisbane 1957) is a maker and art activist working with upcycled materials and found objects. Barbara’s playful approach began in childhood, making art with her artist father and sewing with her mother’s dressmaking scraps. Her art practice has developed from techniques adapted from dressmaking, collage, patch-working, basket weaving and rug-making. Barbara works with textiles for their texture, colour, and their stories of past use. Barbara won the 2019/2020 Textile Art Prize Queensland Regional Art Awards for her piece raising awareness of loss of diversity. Her striking standing wool textiles have been selected as finalist pieces in QRA 2024, Swell Smalls Art Prize 2024, The National Capital Art Prize 2023, Lethbridge Landscape Art Prize 2023, and the Art Textile Biennale 2020 Fibre Arts Australia.
Solo exhibitions: Safeguard: Warwick Art Gallery July/August 2023; and Ebb and Flow: Gatakers Art Space Maryborough, March 2023
Instagram @barbarakstephenson
For enquiries please email exhibition@swellsculpture.com.au
