October 2023 - Brenda Gael Smith
Oct 12th Presentation: Driven to Abstraction
.Brenda creates textile works made from a rich palette of her hand-dyed fabrics complemented by intensive stitching. Much of her work is inspired by the colour and patterns of the natural world with a focus on her surroundings at the “other” Copacabana in Australia and her New Zealand homeland. Using a process of abstraction, Brenda strives to capture the essence of her subjects in simplified form. Working improvisationally, she refines line, shape, colour and texture to evoke a sense of place, express an idea, highlight an issue or elicit an emotional response. Learn more about Brenda’s inspiration and process in this colourful lecture.
This is a hybrid meeting. Brenda will join via Zoom.
About Brenda:
I grew up in Warkworth, New Zealand and made my very first quilt in 1984. It was a glorious seersucker affair, made from factory offcuts, and provided instant warmth and a feeling of home in various student houses as I studied political science and law.
My next foray into quiltmaking was not until the turn of the century. Emerging from the fog of a protracted and demanding business transaction (I was a lawyer in another life), I decided to make a cot quilt for a friend’s baby. What serendipity! Patchwork, quilting and textiles have since developed into a compelling and rewarding avocation.
I design and create my contemporary textile art in my home studio at Copacabana on the Central Coast of New South Wales in Australia.