Maree Burrnard with some of her pieces which feature in the Nexus exhibition.
Maree Burrnard with some of her pieces which feature in the Nexus exhibition.
Embroidery, both contemporary and traditional, feature in a current exhibition in a Stratford gallery.
The two exhibitions Town and Country Stitched and Nexus Traditional Contemporary Embroidery are now showing at Percy Thomson Gallery.
Central Taranaki Embroiders Guild president Maree Burnnand, who is one of the two artists featured in theNexus exhibition, says the exhibitions complement each other.
"Town and Country Stitched is a regional exhibition for the guilds. Their work uses mainly traditional concepts. It gives members the opportunity to showcase their artwork at a local level, before entering the national exhibition. It helps them test the water.
"Nexus, by myself and Jo Dixey, uses traditional stitches with contemporary concepts. It gives people a wide view of the different types of embroidery."
Visitors to the exhibitions can enjoy a glimpse into the creative process with guild members working on embroidery during the exhibition.
"They are keen to share their passion, and hopefully inspire others. They can give information on where to start, workshop opportunities and the times of local guild meetings."
Jo and Maree's exhibition, Nexus, is all about connections. Jo's work focuses on connections between people, and Maree's focus is on connections made on social media.
"We've always worked well together. We have similar ideas that gel well together. I like to challenge people's perceptions of embroidery. I have always had a love for textiles and fibre. I have higher education in fashion but as I have aged, embroidery has come to the foreground."
The Central Taranaki Embroiders Guild Town and Country Stitched exhibition.
Jo is a freelance embroider who trained at the Royal School of Needlework, which is based at Hampton Court Palace in London.
"My life involves teaching embroidery to small groups, working on pieces for exhibitions and doing commissions. These commissions include new work as well as restoration, for private individuals, the fashion industry, and costume work for films."
Maree says this is the second time she's worked with Jo for an exhibition.
"The unfortunate thing is Jo is based in Auckland. So this time she hasn't been able to see the opening of the exhibition and will probably miss the chance to see it up as well."
She says she hopes the exhibition will encourage a new generation to put needles to fabric.
"They're not picking it up like they used to. The common misconception is embroidery is only for older people, but that's not the case. I hope these exhibitions inspire our younger people to give it a go. We're lucky in Stratford to have younger members. It's exciting when people are wanting to learn."
