Seeds and Pods 6
42 x 40 cms
recycled, pieced silk stitched in DMC thread
Robby Wright
My work is intuitive in that whilst I may have a theme, how that is worked through is done by feel, emotional response to the fabric chosen, an almost unconscious knowledge of what is needed
Detail of Beastie
42 x 40 cms
recycled, pieced silk stitched in DMC thread
Detail of Florentes Hortus
37 x 39 cms
recycled, pieced silk stitched in DMC thread
Seeds and Pods 5
42 x 40 cms
recycled, pieced silk stitched in DMC thread
Australian artist Robby Wright is from the small village of Tumbulgum in New South Wales. Robby shares a home studio with her husband who is also an artist. Her embroidered work is created from layers that are rich in detail and colour and she uses found, donated or recycled fabric. “Nothing need be wasted,” she explains. “There is value in the unwanted.”
What is your background in textiles?
“My textile background comes from an art base. I spent three years at Art School in Sydney, travelled to Europe to visit galleries and museums, drew and sketched most of my life until textiles seemed to be the best medium for me to express how I wanted to represent my ideas. What also appealed was that textiles allowed for recycling and repurposing what is often discarded and added another layer of meaning to my work – nothing need be wasted, there is value in the unwanted. So yes, I am self taught re stitching but have attended workshops and seminars if I wanted to extend my knowledge of technique.
How do you describe your work?
My work is intuitive in that whilst I may have a theme, how that is worked through is done by feel, emotional response to the fabric chosen, an almost unconscious “knowledge” of what is needed in that position to work with what is elsewhere. Technically it is organic I suppose in that it unfolds “naturally”. It is also liable to change in the making. The environment is my go to theme. Over the past nine months I have completed a series of six works focused on seeds and pods with the intent of promoting their importance re the planets biodiversity, hence human survival. Also to remind people just to take notice of the micro world inside the macro world of “landscape” and of course to pay attention to their beauty. Throughout my work the natural world is a running concern – I’ve worked on bacteria, Flora, fauna, effects of fire etc.
How do you work?
I keep journals and sketchbooks in which I draw interesting images, come up with brilliant ideas for future work, think out processes in words and flow charts, respond to work I have seen or a visit to a gallery, stick in ephemera, images from magazines, catalogues. Every so often I revisit them for inspiration and generally it is here that each piece of work begins.
I make drawings of images I intend to include in the work directly onto the fabric (recycled) in Pilot Frixion pen however, sometimes I will stitch over, or alter, an image because I feel it doesn’t work. I work on a small piece of fabric initially and gradually add other pieces as the work grows so technically my fabric ground becomes a large piece of patchwork. I work into this with dense, simple stitches (running and satin stitch generally) until I exhaust my ideas. I could describe each piece of work as a work in progress as I add to it, change it, remove things by stitching over them until I am happy that it reflects what I want it to.
How long does a piece generally take?
Generally each piece takes months to complete, stitching on it for 2-3 hours every day usually. Pinning it up and looking at it helps me to understand what needs to be done and what needs to be undone.
Colour is important and I feel that any colour goes with any other colour so I am inclined frequently to use up to a dozen colours as well as their various shades. Texture too is important and I am seduced by the feel of the textile as I work it. If I had my way my exhibited textiles would be available for touching so the viewer experiences the bumps, the crevices, the smooth, the rough of the piece of work.