The Corner Store Gallery - studio visit with weaver and textile artist Christine Appleby

Studio Visit with Christine Appleby

I recently visited Christine Appleby at her home studio in Canberra on a miserably cold day. She was busy at work on her large loom, weaving a wall piece from mohair and other beautiful fibres. The process is slow and complicated, but it’s a process that Christine fell in love with long ago when she was given a weaving kit as a child.

Christine recently graduated from the ANU school of Art and Design with first-class honours. Needless to say, her work is of the highest quality, originality and breaks several rules. Periderm: Perceptions of the Tree Surface will feature woven textile pieces of all colours, shapes and sizes. There’ll be large scale woven sculptural works suspended from the ceiling, as well as wall hangings and tapestries.

With a focus on materials and texture, Christine’s work is organic and beautiful, allowing the fibres to determine the final outcome. Copper wire is used throughout much of her work, creating form and body to allow for a more sculptural finished piece.

Periderm opens on Wednesday June 5th with online sales commencing on Tuesday June 4th at 8pm.

We’d love you to join us for the official launch on Friday evening June 7th at 6pm, the exhibition will be opened by Anne Masters from GOST (Gallery of Small Things) in Canberra. The event is generously sponsored by 1859 Brewery.

Tell us about your background. How did weaving become your medium of choice?

I began weaving and creating textiles from a young age. I was not a ‘reader’ like the rest of my family, so I had to find my own hobbies. I discovered a love of textiles through weaving kits, creating wall hangings for almost every room in the house.

After I finished high school I eventually got up the courage to follow my dreams and complete a creative degree at the ANU School of Arts, where I found myself in the textiles department.

With a strong interest in weaving concepts I took on extra classes, on top of my degree, to develop my skills on the loom and I have never looked back.

Weaving allows me to create my own canvas, each thread builds a picture and every decision makes a difference.

Your process is a little different to most weavers, tell us about the materials you use and the process behind your tactile woven pieces.

My weaving style has developed through my research of the Saori weaving movement. Freestyle weaving such as Saori encourages unrestrained expression and transformation.

This excited me as a maker, within my practice I embody this philosophy. I focus on aesthetic decisions, instead of keeping track of patterns. I embrace the idiosyncrasies. I seek to create with ideas of imperfection, irregularity and inconsistency.

Within my process I create unique hand-woven works utilising a combinations of weave structures, from tight to dense and I investigate the use of non-traditional materials such as wire to add three-dimensionality opposed to the common perception of the apparent flatness of woven cloth.

Where do you find inspiration?

I spend hours roaming my surrounding with my camera, focusing on the colours, lines, shapes and textures of the landscape. I then re-create these perceptions in woven form. Some of my works echo the appearance of ‘surfaces’ captured in my images, while others imitate the rhythms of nature.

Inspiration comes from many sources, such as a walk on the beach or through the bush. Exploring, investigating and traveling are at the core of my inspiration. The memory and essence of an experience captures my imagination and my responses are what you see in my work.

Periderm will feature several forms of weaving artworks. Can you tell us a little about the pieces you’re bringing to The Corner Store Gallery and how they’ll be displayed?

The works created for this exhibition are specifically looking at the lines, shapes, colours and textures found on the trunks a variety of trees. I am weaving on both a micro and macro scales, focusing on the ephemeral qualities, attempting to capture the detail of a moment.

I do not intend to illustrate a specific site but suggest a feeling of being in the environment. I am truly passionate in this quest to communicate the visual beauty of the natural world and hope that viewers of my work will come to appreciate the wonderful complexities of this planet.

My works are a collection of wall hung pieces and suspended installations, varying in shapes and sizes. Muted colours with specs of oranges and pinks found intermittently throughout. The weavings are woven flat, when released from the loom the metal’s malleability creates a desired form to evoke a sense of energy which will be captured through the suspension and display.

What’s next for you?

As an emerging artist, I look to keep learning and developing my art practice. Applying for future exhibitions and creating unique woven works.

For now, I am looking forward to traveling overseas and hope to seek further inspiration from this amazing world we live in.