Textile Art

Helen Shields... is an arts practitioner living and working on Gundungurra and Darhug lands in the Blue Mountains of NSW and pays respect to elders past, present and emerging. She holds qualifications in Chemistry, Fine Arts, Education and Design. Her work encompasses Fabric Design, Drawing, Painting, Collage and Ceramics.

Textile artist and craftswoman, spinner and weaver, as well as a teacher and occasional portrait model. Creating in the Mountains. More to come, we're all a work in progress.

Michelle was drawn to the blue haze of Blackheath in 1997, raised her three children in the upper mountains whilst maintaining her art practice, facilitating workshops throughout Australia and the USA. She now resides in an empty nest overlooking the vast expansive Wollemi on the edge of the Blue Mountains perched in a small fringe town. Michelle is a practicing fibre artist, has a BA(Visual Arts) and Masters in Art Therapy, has exhibited in California, Florida, Connecticut, Quebec, Tasmania and throughout NSW, VIC & ACT. Her art yarn designs have been published in three books: Hand Spun; Intertwined; and Hand-spinning and Dyeing Yarn. Michelle’s recent arts-based research explores the connection between materiality and neuroscience, the many knowledges and ways in which interactions with art materials affect emotional and mental health and well-being. “My hands explore a tactile knowing through twisting fibres into yarn, cordage, string, intertwining wool, silk, flax, cotton and discarded clothes, create intuitive threads for contemplative weaving. I spin, ravel, fray, unravel, pause, breathe, re-align, loop, weave, stitch, bind, repair, explore practise as metaphor for the ebb and flow of human experience. Interested in the interconnection between self and the natural world.. coexisting and cobecoming, my dimensional artworks in yarn, weave and sculpture reflect qualities of light illuminating and casting shadow, textures regenerating, shifting form. I invite the viewer to touch, to bring into view the outside, to notice a shifting presence within.” Michelle has a playful, inquisitive approach to the art of spinning yarn and a natural inclination to push the boundaries of materiality in her art. She is sought for her unique ability to guide others to seek and deepen connections with their own creativity. Michelle welcomes enquires for private and corporate commissions, workshops, exhibitions and collaborations.

I am a highly experienced brand communication designer specialising in the Arts and Cultural sector, and a practicing artist, with proven experience in project management within the creative industries and arts & cultural sector. I offer my clients, brilliant design solutions, delivered on time, with a friendly and collaborative service. My skills include: Branding, Illustration, Visual identity, Digital storytelling, Exhibition signage, Catalogues, Designs for merch, Print and digital for Marketing material. Clients include: Blue Mountains City Art Gallery, Blue Mountains City Council Cultural Development and Place Management teams, Regional Arts Regional Futures campaign. If you’re looking for a lovely bit of design work to get your project noticed, and you want to enjoy the process, please get in touch, I’d love to be able to help you out.

Liz Bryan was born on Dharug land in the western suburbs of Sydney and currently resides in the unceded Dharug and Gundengurra lands in the Blue Mountains. Liz is a practicing designer/ artist working with drawing, painting, textiles and digital media. Her work is heavily influenced by her interest in esoteric knowledge, mythologies and ritual. She works with themes of womanhood, place, the hidden aspects of feminine history, the interplay between art & craft and the influence of science and mysticism in art. Liz completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts with honours at the National Art School, Sydney in 2002 majoring in printmaking. She received the Stella Downer printmaking award and the Robin Gibson Gallery graduate exhibition award. After relocating to Melbourne in 2003, Liz went on to study at The Victorian College of the Arts, receiving a Post Graduate Diploma Visual Arts in 2007. She was awarded the Felicity and Stuart Carter acquisitive prize for her drawings on completion of study. In 2014 Liz began studying textile design at TAFE in Ultimo. In 2015 she completed her Diploma and received the Think+ digitial print award, the Leap Frog screen printing award and was a NSW finalist in the GOTYA award in 2016. Liz is currently a visual arts teacher at TAFE at both Nepean and Blue Mountains campuses. She also teaches sessionally at Western Sydney University in the visual communications faculty.

From Jennie's little garden studio, she creates art from Blue Mountains landscapes to quirky illustrative characters. She also runs one-off workshops and termly classes to share her knowledge and encourage others to create. Her most recent body of work encapsulates the exploration and rediscovery of the natural landscape of the Blue Mountains from the time of the pandemic lockdowns. From this came her first solo book LOOKOUT, in which she encourages you to discover lookouts, through the artists eye. Whether you appreciate differing art techniques or are looking for inspiration for your own art journey, within these pages you will find Jennie's local knowledge and artistic ramblings. Jennie's illustrative art brand is called Hiccup Art, so called as Jennie hiccups nearly every day. Her illustrations are quirky, sometimes whimsical, and often from her daydreaming imagination. Jennie has illustrated Children's books, created originals and art prints. Her love of sharing knowledge has also lead her to work with schools Artist in Residence programs, Art Camps and Children's workshops. Her LOOKOUT book, originals, prints and cards can be found in local galleries, book stores, visitor centres, boutique retail stores, online and local artisan markets. Please contact Jennie for wholesale enquiries, commissions, collaborations and creative workshops.

Born and raised in the Blue Mountains, I have always been drawn to incorporating my love of nature into my art. I create art that explores the themes of identity, our connections to nature and spirituality in this ever evolving world, with the multitude of new technologies we have available to us. My work spans the realms of painting, wool felting, digital, generative and photography. Over the past few years, I have exhibited my work in a number of galleries and shows across the world, including multiple exhibitions in both London & New York City. My work has been auctioned through a renowned Chinese auction house and has also been published in Australian Art Collector Magazine in 2021.

Using drawing as primary research process, Wendy Tsai re-forms the information gained through observation and intuition into personal narratives that interrogate meaning and given-ness. While attracted to and nourished by the natural environment surrounding her home on Dharug and Gundungurra Country, in the Blue Mountains, Wendy also recognises the devastating impact of climate change and human interference, allowing this disquiet to inform her work, through intimate reveries that are both tangible and ethereal. Relying on an embodied knowledge of place, Wendy has a ritual of walking to experience and adapt to the idiosyncrasies of the natural world. She also photographs, collects and manipulates digitally the images that hold specific memories of place. Her drawings are an attempt to ‘be in’ place through a peaceable communion grounded in the landscape. Wendy regularly at the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre Gallery. She also has work in collections in Tasmania and in the Kedumba Drawing Collection.

Sky Carter is a Blue Mountains based Fibre and Textile Artist. Sky works with private and commercial clients to create bespoke woven wall hangings as well as multimedia installations using sculptural processes. Sky draws inspiration from the zeitgeist, current cultural trends and also her internal world. She is interested in the intersection of her internal narrative and how this is influenced by external pressures. Sky has created her own range of sustainable and locally made weaving looms and tools and taught over 3000 students her uninhibited free form style of weaving making it accessible to all. Sky has exhibited her works locally and internationally and attended artist residencies in Guatemala and Chicago. She has also appeared in a number if publications including Inside Out and Home Beautiful Magazines.

The Blue Mountains Cultural Centre showcases innovative, diverse, distinctive and creative cultural programs for enjoyment by residents of, and visitors to, the Blue Mountains. Located in the heart of Katoomba the Blue Mountains Cultural Centre encompasses the Blue Mountains City Art Gallery, Katoomba Library and Into the Blue, an interactive exhibition that explores the history and natural landscape of the Blue Mountains. Visitors can also enjoy the viewing platform that takes in stunning panoramic vistas of Katoomba and the Jamison Valley. Opened in 2012, the Blue Mountains City Art Gallery features major touring, curated, regional and local exhibitions. Its Altitude Exhibition Program is dedicated to showcasing artists who reside in the Blue Mountains Region. The Gallery also hosts many quality exhibition programs such as curator and artist talks, educational workshops, gallery tours and outreach programs. The Cultural Centre also hosts school holiday programs for kids, pop-up art activities, artisan markets, performances, and a wide range of community related events. The Blue Mountains Cultural Centre also features a Gallery Shop and Café, both of which aim to highlight local makers and produce. The Shop stocks a wide variety of quality Australian made gifts, books and homewares, with a focus on artisan products designed and made here in the Blue Mountains. The licensed Gallery Café has a particular focus on quality, locally produced ingredients. You can enjoy freshly roasted coffee, delicious cakes, and a seasonal menu while overlooking the magnificent Jamison Valley.