I was invited along with four other textile/fibre artists to be part the Follow the Thread art exhibition. This is showing in The Coolstore Gallery on the Wharf in Māpua in the Nelson region. It runs from 16 August and it runs until 27 August 2026. I was fortunate enough tattend the opening.
As you enter the ‘cool’ gallery you are met with a suspended red knitted top. A thread from it is strung strung around the gallery, leading you to the works of each artist.
I have five works in the exhibition
This group of five works is made from plant materials gathered from my garden. My practice is grounded in collaboration with nature, shaped by an enduring commitment to working by hand with fibres drawn from the earth.
Each form begins with a simple gesture—twisting, looping, binding, weaving—then changes as the fibres respond. The structures shift during making, settling into their own tensions and curves, and often finding their final shape only as they dry.
The works are connected by this shared vocabulary of gesture and material behaviour. Variations in structure, openness, and containment are extended by the presence of shadow, which amplifies subtle differences in density, line, and form.
Together, they form a quiet study of natural material, process, and touch, tracing the evolution of simple forms through time. Each piece echoes the others while retaining a distinct and contemplative presence.
The Coolstore Gallery is a fabulous little gallery so do check it out if you are in Māpua or you can view the exhibition works online.