The Assembly
Heather Parlane // Journey into the Pink
Journey in the Pink, Bundle printing or Eco printing and needle felting, wool and plant pigments on repurposed wool blanket, 46" x 27", 2017.
The creation of beautiful textiles, a truly human endeavour, has not only practical, historic roots (felting being among the oldest), but has long been used as a way of expressing cultural values, celebratory occasions, symbolism and religious themes. Eco-printing is a way of reaching back to the land, stirring present-day concerns toward sustainability and re-purposing, while creating an art form that promotes care for our natural resources; a modern technique that does no harm. Large, grey looping chestnut, multi-stemmed walnut and lacy, purple, maples leaves, grace the background world of this textile. It is the multiple pink, entwining paths of felted embellishments that are meant to draw the viewer into a journey of possibilities. Just like a child’s game of ‘Snakes and Ladders’, each path delivers the viewer to a slightly different area of the surface. Paths through the woods, choices in life; a beautiful journey.
Detail of Journey in the Pink, Bundle printing or Eco printing and needle felting, wool and plant pigments on repurposed wool blanket, 46" x 27", 2017.
Detail of Journey in the Pink, Bundle printing or Eco printing and needle felting, wool and plant pigments on repurposed wool blanket, 46" x 27", 2017.
All my work is strongly influenced by whimsical sea life, our enchanted forests and wild marshes. Moved by the natural world, I delight in combining a potpourri of organic shapes with whimsical colour schemes, to create enchanted textile imagery on repurposed wool blankets. Eco printing and felting is an unpredictable, if not gloriously eccentric, mix of art forms, providing the perfect opportunity for me to express, recurring themes and priorities in my image making. I now refer to myself as a textile artist; no one is more surprised than me!