Solo show opening June 12th!

Radiant

I have absolutely loved working on this piece which I made as a private commission. I recently took her to her new home in Sydney and had the immensely pleasurable experience of installing her myself and seeing her settle into her new place.

Radiant was developed from life drawings and detailed studies of spines. Using thread I have freehand machine embroidered the spine before constructing the figure from a network of embroidered thread lines.

Radiant, 2015, thread, fabric & LED lights

The fabric was carefully chosen from http://www.spoonflower.com/ . I love that online fabric store. The material was gorgeous to work with.

Once complete, I constructed a light box with LED lights which is attached to the back of the canvas and gently illuminates the whole piece from within. 

Junk!

For as long as I have been making art I have had a passion for finding, collecting and hoarding things that no-one else seems to want. 

Sometimes these fascinating objects even make their way into my artwork

 

I know that I am far from alone in this curious pursuit of collecting other people's rubbish and incorporating it into my creations. When I studied sculpture we were positively encouraged to take time out to visit the local scrap yard to collect materials and inspiration. I have many happy memories of digging around muddy junk piles for treasures to use. Here is something I made after one of those visits...

Juliet D Collins, Spine Window, plaster & found window

Of course, it is not just artists that do it, in fact here in Australia it actually feels like something of a national past-time. It's so ingrained that there exists a whole informal culture around the easy and free recycling of unwanted stuff via "The nature strip" (for non-Australians: the area of grass between the road and the pavement where one places ones junk and passers by kindly remove it for their own use or simply to hoard) 

mixed media drawing with found lace, 2014

Found Doiley spine with reused jute shopping bags

 But why, oh why? (my husband cries with dismay as yet another valuable storage area gets filled with useless objects for future art projects)

For me, the process of making art is inextricably entwined with found objects. These found elements are a vital part of my creative journey whether I am making sculpture, drawing, or textile work.

The object, whatever it is, forms an intrinsic part of the creation of the piece from inspiration,through design and even,or perhaps especially, informing my choice of technique and medium. That journey is unique with each piece.

"Fragile Strength", machine embroidered spine in a found vintage cheese box

So... I am really excited to be offering kids JUNK SCULPTURE workshops here in Melbourne these kids school holidays!

I have been happily hoarding all kinds of fascinating bits n bobs, trash and junk that would normally be thrown away and have planned a fun packed few hours for kids of all ages to learn some tips & tricks and unleash their creativity with junk! 

For more info and bookings head over to 

http://www.kingstonarts.com.au/PUBLIC-PROGRAMS/Creative-Lounge

Pop Tarts

I'm having lots of fun with my "Pop Tarts" and they are proving to be very popular! Here is the full set so far. They are all 40 x 30 cm, framed and ready to hang. They are developed from original life drawings, cut from fabric and sewn using freehand machine embroidery. The anatomical features are made from dissected crochet work or lace

Beautiful Anatomy

Human Anatomy has fascinated me for as long as I can remember and I have studied anatomy both as an artist and from a more medical perspective in my health science studies.

In my recent work I have been exploring the beauty, fragility, strength and mystery of our anataomy. 

Mystery

Fragility

Strength

Beauty

These are a series of four. They are all approximately 1m x 1m. 

The background fabric is either a heavy weight cotton or a linen. The female forms are drawn from life. 

The Lacey spines are embroidered thread. They are drawn from careful and extensive studies of spines. In designing the spines I am seeking to capture both a decorative quality and to use it to convey a sense, not only of the fascinating and beautiful structure of the spine but also of the lace like bone structure and the way that it has organically grown to create the beautiful, intricate forms that make up the vertebrae. The space behind the spines which is not so obvious in the images is to me an important aspect of these works. 

I have won the ACMD Art in Science Prize!

 

I am very excited to announce that my work Fragile Strength 2 has won the Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery Art Prize 2014!

It is currently exhibited alongside the other entries at St Vincent's Hospital Gallery, Victoria Parade, Fitzroy. It's a fascinating exhibition showcasing the beautiful work of a varied and talented group of artists, all responding to the theme "Art in Science, Science in Art".

My artwork is created from thread using freehand machine embroidery "drawing". It is housed in a vintage wooden box, fastened with brass pins.My description of my work:

The spine is exquisite: beautiful and fragile like lace, yet its structure gives it strength. Bone tissue looks like lacy threads, delicately knitted together. Skeletons for anatomical study are articulated with beautiful brass fastenings and often stored in timber boxes that age beautifully and carry a haunting sense of ceremony and dignity.

An image of my work is also to be found on the cover for the ACMD research week program (see above).
The Art in Science exhibition closes at the end of August.

Exhibition coming soon...

My new body of work is really starting to come together. 

It's all about spines!