what's hatching here?

I've finally refined my idea for the textile exhibition in September. I'll be creating an installation called 'Rare Birds'. There will be eight textile birds - four of them are recreations of bird illustrations drawn by New Zealand women for the NZ School Journals in the 1950s and 60s: a tui by Anne McCahon; a magpie by Juliet Peter that illustrated Denis Glover's poem, 'The Magpies'; Jill McDonald's red bird (shown above), and a yet to be determined bird by Jean Angus (younger sister of Rita). The other four birds in the exhibition will be my own designs in reponse to the School Journal birds - possibly a bit darker and less whimsical than theirs.

The School Journal was a formative influence on many of our lives in New Zealand, so much so that Gregory O'Brien paid tribute to the journals in his marvellous book, A Nest of Singing Birds. I want to do the same by bringing to life some of my favourite drawings as gorgeous textile birds.