OZQN Blog

Rachel Ratten is a New Zealand painter and printmaker that uses imagery which is figurative/representational in nature. Having been a quilter for 20 years, and attempting original compositions, it wasn't until she achieved an MFA from University of Canterbury in 2015, that Rachel moved her focus on to the more 'formal' elements of design and composition, with narrative … [Read more...] about AW8 Preview: Rachel Ratten

A compulsion to draw, design and stitch has been a constant theme throughout Vanessa’ Newton-Brown's life. She has designed and made original pieces since early years and is never without several projects on the go. For Vanessa, who hand stitches and embroiders, colour is one of the primary inspirations. Her palette of stranded cottons, silks and threads has a lustre unique … [Read more...] about AW8 Preview: Vanessa Newton-Brown

Recognised for her creative, artistic and innovative approaches to quilting, Julie Haddrick is an award winning and accomplished textile artist, quilt and pattern designer, teacher and quilt judge and the Australian Rajah Award winner in 2018. In the art of Julie Haddrick, nothing is unnecessary. Her disciplined approach features careful designing and restrained use of colour … [Read more...] about AW8 Preview: Julie Haddrick

Ruth stitches hundreds of little pieces of hand-dyed fabric together to make bold textile paintings. Ruth obtains her artistic inspiration from God’s creation. She finds inspiration to explore new ideas and designs in the way that everything works and fits together in this world – the laws of nature, the interrelationships between animals, and between plants and animals, and … [Read more...] about AW8 Preview: Ruth de Vos

Anna Brown’s design inspiration comes from a deep-seated connection to nature and her immediate environment. Her pattern making results from a study of the eucalypt canopies near her home. She works directly with her materials, preferably natural fabrics, cotton, linen and silk, cutting and layering intuitively. Hand quilting introduces texture and depth to her work and is an … [Read more...] about AW8 Preview: Anna Brown

Suzanne Gummow trained as a Visual Arts Educator lecturing in both secondary and tertiary education. She has been a dedicated teacher for over 50 years and has taught at many different high schools in South Australia during her career, she is now retired. She also teaches private workshops in textiles, quilt making and art throughout Australia. The need to explore my … [Read more...] about AW8 Preview: Suzanne Gummow

Born in the UK, Lynne Hargreaves worked as a graphic designer moving into design training in 1978. 20yrs in vocational and tertiary education followed. Joining the cultural sector and arts management in 1998 she retired to Tasmania in 2017 from the position of Director of Exhibitions & Collections at the Art Gallery of WA. She has worked in partnership with institutions … [Read more...] about AW8 Preview: Lynne Hargreaves

Rebecca Wolske is a self-taught textile and mixed media artist since the early 2000’s. She likes to recreate the ‘atmosphere’ that a piece will portray, a misty morning in the bush or the flutter of autumn leaves falling to the ground, the challenges she faces to make the piece as authentic as possible is what drives her work. Rebecca likes to challenge herself by always trying … [Read more...] about AW8 Preview: Rebecca Wolske

Lisa Walton from Sydney, Australia is one of the jurors for Australia Wide Eight. She has been awarded many prizes for her quilts including major international and Australian quilt shows. She teaches Internationally and was awarded the Jewel Pearce Patterson Scholarship for Quilting Teachers by the International Quilt Association Houston USA. Lisa’s quilts have been exhibited … [Read more...] about AW8 Preview: Lisa Walton

Beth and Trevor Reid made their first textile together in 1972, a patchwork bed covering. After pursuing many different crafts they joined Canberra Quilters in 1988 and began working with textiles. They made quilts that were a little bit different, sometimes together, sometimes individually. They began to collaborate seriously for the first time in 1998 for a Canberra … [Read more...] about AW8 Preview: Beth & Trevor Reid