At the moment I am looking at found objects that can be incorporated into embroidery, which is certainly not a new concept for freestyle artists. I am looking at how far one can take found objects into the confined parameters of the decorative arts.
*What craft trends have caught your eye lately?
I tend to keep my eyes to the ground and not be influenced by fashion so I can come up with something new – or at least a new twist on an old story. However, one would have to be blind not to have noticed scrapbooking, and I suspect sooner or later embroidery and scrapbooking are going to combine for a period.
*How do you juggle family and business commitments?
My children have grown up, so there is just my wife and I. Helen comes with me when I go overseas if she is able to get time off work. God blessed me with the best wife a man could have, so there is never any friction about work or anything else. Helen even lets me spend weeks on end with – sometimes – hundreds of women! Although I must admit, the maintenance of the house is suffering at the moment.
*Whose work do you admire?
I’m reluctant to answer that because Australia has so many fine embroiderers. Just a quick glance through a Koala Convention program will show the depth and talent of Australian needleworkers.
The style of work I admire the most in any art form is a combination of good design and solid craftsmanship.
*One invention you wish was yours? Why?
The computer. Apart from the wealth it would bring that one could use to change the world, it has simplified and altered the graphic scene incredibly in a relatively short period of time – and it’s not finished yet.
*Apart from sewing, what else do you like to do?
I enjoy reading, mainly the thoughts of past theologians. In my youth I enjoyed painting and pen drawing, which I will go back to some day.
*Are there any new fashions or tools you think will change or dominate the craft world in the near future?
Computers still haven’t been utilised to their fullest and there will always be features to add to them. As machines that print directly on fabric get cheap enough for artists to play with, some interesting things are bound to come of it. It will be through the imagination of artists who adopt industrial tools that something new in embroidery is developed.
