holly story

the gift

22 may - 20 june 2009

• press release
• review: a tale of garlands and beasts

Holly has been exploring her relationship to the land over several years.

Her work is subtle, even romantic, as she negotiates the links between her life and the land that inspires her work: Deep River in the South West of WA. This land has slowly seeped into her everyday life, infusing its slow timelessness and subtle transformations into her artworks. There are several ongoing themes in her work, firstly that of the Deep River plant life. Holly makes dyes from these plants, harvests Banksia fluff, makes pressings of flowers and leaves and appreciates the geometric perfection of nature. Secondly, Holly’s work has a deft feminine hand. Drawing inspiration and techniques from the traditional female realms of embroidery, stencilling, dress making, stitching, mending and folding.

These themes coalesce into striking and delicate artworks. Translucent book pages are flocked with spots of Banksia velvet, hand dyed blanket pieces are stitched together into garlands or rosettes, pattern cutting paper is flocked and cut into the strange organic shapes that plants inspire. Throughout all, the influence of the Banksia reigns.

Holly still sees us as settlers, unable to truly connect or understand the Australian landscape. She wonders why absence is such a palpable presence in the Australian bush, stating
“I feel it most keenly in wild places where the skin of forgetting is still thin and echoes of a past life break through if you stop long enough to listen. It seems to me the land is hungry for recognition...”
“But how do you really get to know a place, allowing it to seep into you and affect the way you are and the way you live? This is the question I return to over and over in my work.”

Holly graduated from Curtin University in 1992 and since then has been exhibiting nationally. Her work can be found in many public collections including the Art Gallery of WA, Curtin University, University of WA, Artbank, BankWest, City of Fremantle, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, WA Chamber of Commerce & Industry and the Museum of Arts Crafts Itami in Japan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

garland for haemodorum, bosseaea + pisolithus plant dyed blankets, silk thread 37.5 x 37.5 x 10cm [x3] 2008 $4,400
velvet notebook - bloom tissue paper, acrylic binder, watercolour, banksia grandis velvet, card, linen, cotton thread, plant dyes 21 x 33 x 2cm 2009 $770	the watcher found blankets, linen thread, embroidery hoop, plant dyes, found button, pimelia string 90 x 16 x 6cm 2009 $660 SOLD
material forms - set 1 tissue paper, acrylic binder, watercolour, banksia grandis velvet, steel pins 15 x 65 x 15cm 2009 $340
velvet notebook - cycle tissue paper, acrylic binder, watercolour, banksia grandis velvet, card, linen, cotton thread, plant dyes 21 x 33 x 2cm 2009 $770	yellow rosette found blankets, linen thread, embroidery hoop, plant dyes, found button 40 x 40 x 6cm 2009 $1,650
variable state found linen shirt, cast silver buttons, plant dyes, banksia grandis velvet, silk, blanket, adhesive, steel pins 66 x 306 x 14cm 2009 $5,500
velvet notebook - the book of days iI tissue paper, acrylic binder, watercolour, banksia grandis velvet, card, linen, cotton thread, plant dyes 21 x 33 x 2cm 2009 $770	green rosette found blankets, linen thread, embroidery hoop, plant dyes, found button 39 x 39 x 5cm 2009 $1,650
material forms - set 2 tissue paper, acrylic binder, watercolour, banksia grandis velvet, steel pins 20 x 48 x 15cm 2009 $255
velvet notebook - numbered tissue paper, acrylic binder, watercolour, banksia grandis velvet, card, linen, cotton thread, plant dyes 21 x 33 x 2cm 2009 $770	honey rosette found blankets, linen thread, embroidery hoop, plant dyes, found button 39 x 39 x 6cm 2009 $1,650
velvet notebook - the book of days i tissue paper, acrylic binder, watercolour, banksia grandis velvet, card, linen, cotton thread, plant dyes 21 x 33 x 2cm 2009 $770
swan rosette found blankets, linen thread, embroidery hoop, plant dyes, found button 41 x 40 x 5cm 2009 $1,650	velvet rosette found blankets, linen thread, embroidery hoop, plant dyes, found button 36 x 35 x 6cm 2009 $1,650
velvet notebook - spinning tissue paper, acrylic binder, watercolour, banksia grandis velvet, card, linen, cotton thread, plant dyes 21 x 33 x 2cm 2009 $770
material forms - set 3 tissue paper, acrylic binder, watercolour, banksia grandis velvet, steel pins 20 x 84 x 12cm 2009 $425