Monthly Archives: November 2011

BLUE

Posted on November 25, 2011 by anton veenstra

An essay in indigo, a small tapestry, 32 cms H X 20 cms W. BLUE. It began with studies of an indigenous Australian bush flower, blue, six petalled, thelionema caespitosum. Establishing the presence of the petals strongly against a monochrome … Continue reading →

Posted in fibre, finished work, indigenous flowers, indigo, tapestry | Leave a comment

building blocks

Posted on November 22, 2011 by anton veenstra

A ubiquitous form of window glass in Australia during the California bungalow period [1910 to 1940] was a ripple glass; it often featured in bathrooms, a wasp nest pattern, an accretion of lozenge shapes.  The patterning comes closest to the way … Continue reading →

Posted in Archie Brennan, art concealing art, fibre, finished work, loom, stepped line, tapestry, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

what a little surprise Highland Fling contains

Posted on November 13, 2011 by anton veenstra

In the last chapter of Highland Fling, the good characters end happily and the bad unhappily, as Oscar Wilde prescribed, and an exhibition takes place. Among the catalogue entries is the following: “‘No.2. Fire irons, formal design,’ represented a poker and … Continue reading →

Posted in button assembly, nancy mitford | Leave a comment

feminism design craft

Posted on November 11, 2011 by anton veenstra

My mum came to Australia as a refugee after World War Two; her ship set off from Italy somewhere, got to Fremantle where it was quarantined for a suspected smallpox outbreak onboard. Then she disembarked at Melbourne, travelled by train … Continue reading →

Posted in art, cowra migrant camp, ecological concerns, fibre, finished work, molecular food, tapestry, textile, victorian tapestry | 1 Comment

beginner’s mind and the democracy of colour

Posted on November 8, 2011 by anton veenstra

I like the concept of beginner’s mind; oriental, martial artsy idea that you empty the consciousness of preconceptions, allowing space for fresh energy to flow in. My T’ai Chi teacher thought I practised it well. It applies to my work … Continue reading →

Posted in boro, buttons, dye resist, fibre, finished work, indigo, Japanese textile, loom, tapestry, textile | Leave a comment

dynamic tension

Posted on November 1, 2011 by anton veenstra

Woven tapestry in Australia has been considered suspect by practitioners and critics if it is seen to imitate painting. Thus painterly representation and illusionism are scowled upon. By contrast, the catalogue of a Barbicon [London] exhibition of tapestries describes several … Continue reading →

Posted in Amy c. Clarke, Barbicon tapestry, Chuck Close, Francis Bacon, Frank Auerbach, Lia Cook, mirror of Galadriel | Leave a comment