Posts Tagged ‘Tapestry Girl’

Re-emerging

Posted: April 27, 2023 in Gallery
Tags: , , , ,

As an artist who creates contemporary needlepoint inspired by street art, I am deeply connected to the transformative power of creativity. My textile works are a manifestation of the life force that is cultivated through the act of creating.

Using vibrant colours, bold lines, and intricate stitches, I seek to capture the energy and vitality of the urban environment. My pieces reflect the dynamic interplay between the individual and the collective, the physical and the spiritual.

As a practitioner of needlepoint, I am drawn to the tactile nature of the medium. The process of hand-stitching allows me to slow down and connect with my work on a deeper level, channelling my creativity and life force into each stitch.

My works are not simply decorative objects, but rather expressions of the creative spirit that infuses all of life. Through my art, I seek to inspire others to tap into their own creative energy and discover the transformative power that lies within.

As an artist, my textile art reflects my deep connection to creativity and the way in which it elevates my life force. My work is contemporary needlepoint inspired by the vibrant energy of street art, which I use to convey the power of self-expression and the transformative nature of art.

In this body of work, I have used the symbol of the butterfly to represent the sense of re-emerging after a period of isolation brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. The butterfly’s transformation from a cocoon to a beautiful, soaring creature mirrors the way in which we can emerge from difficult times, transformed, and renewed.

Through my use of vibrant colours and intricate stitching, I aim to create a sense of joy and hope in the viewer, inviting them to embrace their own creativity and the power of art to transform and heal. My needlepoint pieces are a celebration of the beauty and resilience of the human spirit, and a testament to the enduring power of creativity to lift us up and carry us forward.

Sydney winter sunsets are awe inspiring, warm gelato pinks, streaks of strawberry, rose lemonades, fluffy flamingo coloured clouds . The sun sets in the west and the silhouettes of people, places and things contrast against the bubblegum skies.

Intelligent animal and the Darlington Installation Project (DIP) present
Blame it on the Sunsets by Niki McDonald, Tapestry Girl. https://www.intelligentanimal.com.au/

‘I’m saying that our urban environment empowers the women who embrace
the colours, reflections, lights, and Sunsets’. Follow the link for the catalogue . https://www.intelligentanimal.com.au/_files/ugd/7c5458_5c41c7e30d85469a885e6b54dc3fd61c.pdf

Follow the link for What’s on in Sydney. https://whatson.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/events/blame-it-on-the-sunsets-niki-mcdonald-aka-tapestry-girl

The purpose of Intelligent Animal (ia) is to financially contribute to people and organisations undertaking critical action to ensure the future and ongoing protection of our bio-diversity.

Sunset City
Afternoon Tea
Pink Gelato

It’s happened again, just as my, Seamingly compliant , exhibition was about to open, Sydney went into a Stage 4 Lockdown and the Traffic Jam galleries had to close. The exhibition has been set up and photographed and you can see my work in the Catalogue by clicking on the link. I am so happy with this Body of Work, Seemingly compliant, is an exhibition divided into 3 parts, and is an exploration of my personal journey to find authentic self-expression and reinvigorate the story within the common thread. Scroll down for a taster or click for the whole show

Click for the catalogue

Opening Celebration – Saturday 10th October 12-4 pm

TAP Gallery is at 1/259 Riley Street, Surry Hills, Sydney

Exhibition from Thursday 8th of october – Sunday 18th of October 2020

Wednesday 14th for Craft up Late – 5-7pm

And… There’s a Light On, an art exhibition, is a response to the Sydney Craft Week theme, Change Maker. Immersion in the gallery space will offer a sensory shift for the viewer. The space is compact, and the textile art is hung Salon style for limited visual resting places, artwork titles draw on song lyrics to evoke mood and past experience. The artwork is tactical, and touch is encouraged on some pieces, bowls of sweets are offered creating small dopamine hits. The artist’s intention is to provide a space for sensory immersion as an intermission from the unfolding world at large. Niki McDonald, Tapestry Girl, employs the half cross stitch traditionally used in needlepoint tapestry to find the balance between playfulness, industriousness and urban sass.

http://www.tapgallery.org.au/and-theres-a-light-on-niki-mcdonald/

‘Where the Vertical meets the Horizontal’ my 20ply merino wool latch hook cross on exhibition with the Seed Stitch Collective, at the Gaffa Gallery, Sydney. The audience is asked to start a new conversation by pulling handfuls of fluffy wool from the piece, balling them up and discarding the wispy creations on the wooden floor. The orginal gives rise to a new conversation and where the story will go, I’m looking forward to seeing x

I loved working with KPC Yarn and felt connected to the pop up space in Paddington. The workshops were a hub of creativity and exploration of the needlepoint tapestry medium. I’m thinking of more making, more workshops and of creating kits, watch this space x

Katoomba 11-6-16 -28 1

A half cross stitch on a spray painted 3.75 Ct tapestry canvas. 95x120cm

See, Sew, Sing

Latch hook rug,60ply Merino and acrylic wool, power coated metal grid,600x2700mm

The alley way and street sings a song of long ago, the passion of celebratory voices from many lands scatter their seeds as they unite. The chorus tells of laying granite rock on stone and brick, of sparking up spirit and rising above blood and bone.

I am drawn to the mechanical nature of my textile arts practice. Within the repetition and toiling is a space that allows me to connect with my inner peace. I feel my spirit pulsating as the piece unfolds and takes shape. My heart races as I connect with the art and the process and the piece that will never really be complete or static or resolved. Every eye that falls upon my art sees what they have earlier sown, their spirit imprints with its own light.

Wool like the spirit absorbs light and sound, it’s rich and tactile and comes from a source that has been nurtured and grown. When cared for and cherished it calls to all and sings a new song and an old song and a song of joy and hope.

More than the Daily grind