Author Archives: jolanta

Prevalent throughout the domestic decorative arts, the tea cozy remains an oft-visited tradition for novices and seasoned practitioners alike. Knit, crocheted or quilted, the purpose of the object is two-fold: it functions as an insulator keeping the tea warm, and is also a decorative and creative expression of its maker. Extending its utility, artist Mary-Anne […]

Revolutions are sweet as long as discoveries are transformed into work, into days filled with this production of images, with writing, drawing, and collage, which are my three main, parallel techniques. However, ideas are often buried, like annotations jotted down in exercise books that have been put away, relegated to the attic or notes hidden […]

The Further the Distance, the Tighter the Knot was a performance installation that used Victorian mourning rituals, old-time American folk songs, and knitting to explore my longing for home as a recent transplant to Australia. Linden is a repurposed Victorian mansion, built in the 1870s as a family home. The piece drew on Linden’s history […]

When eight years of your adult life is consumed with creating something most people around you think outlandish, stupid, wasteful, sinful, desperate, ugly, pointless, or perverse, and this is after floundering so many years prior on what exactly to consume one’s creative energy on, only to hear from your wife, family, and friends once you […]

In the second half of the 19th century, due to the rise of the Industrial Revolution, traditional handicraft manufacturers in Europe were outraced by factories, where large machines were used. Crude machines mass-produced cheap but less-qualified products. People who were obsessed with fine and exquisite handwork became worried that traditional techniques and creativity might vanish […]