Being A Guest Exhibitor
- Jul 8
- 4 min read
During the first weekend of July 2026 I was privileged to be the Guest Exhibitor for the Auckland Quiltmakers Quilt Show and Market.
Although I have a reasonable amount of experience as an exhibitor, the outcome is always an unknown as one prepares for an exhibition. However I am experienced enough as a creator and exhibitor to know how to curate and hang a body of my work so that I am happy with the exhibition - whatever the outcome of an exhibition might be. That is the intellectual approach which is balanced by the emotional feelings of vulnerability in putting myself out there! My work is incredibly important to me and my heartfelt hope is that it touches and connects with the viewers. I also firmly believe that my work will go to the home it is meant to go to at the right time. So I hold all those thoughts and feelings internally as I prepare and hang.
However, that said, it is wonderful to get such amazing feedback on my creative work. Arriving on the first morning I was deeply touched to receive very welcome and delightful comments on my NZ inspired fabrics - about how different and fresh they are. Encouragement in an age when AI is pushing designers out of work.
What became quickly apparent was that the Auckland Quiltmakers have a well respected reputation and a following not, only with quilters, but also locals and others. Observing the number of visitors - non textile, young people and men, was encouraging. Consistent feedback I received was how different my art quilts are to anything viewers have seen before and about the quality and detail in the work.
The majority of my current work has an almost black base fabric - it's actually a batik fabric with uneven colour, which I really like to work on because it is not dead flat black. Exhibiting in a gallery with white or light cream coloured walls highlights the artwork, however most quilt shows have black boards and it is easy for my work to feel a little lost on the black. What I have realised is the importance of good lighting to help differentiate the art quilt from the background. My exhibition at AQS was in a well lit area - both natural light and lights. The abundance of natural light highlighted the subtle blues at the edge of "Circular Connections".
"Reflected Light", 60cm(w) x 40cm(h) has been a favourite and my signature at the bottom of my emails. This is one of my first attempts at creating reflections from McLarens Falls, a local reserve, and also a well travelled art quilt, having been exhibited in NZ, Australia and France. Well, it was time for "Reflected Light" to go to it's forever home and I am delighted.
"Beach Island", (35cm(w) x 25(h) dimensions of art quilt)is another favourite. This is an 'island' at one end of Opoutere Beach, a gorgeous beach on the Coromandel. I am not even sure I can call it an island because the definition of an island is that a body of water surrounds it - what if it only sometimes surrounded by water? Can it still be called an island? Islands continue to be a feature in my work, NZ has an abundance of off shore islands so I am guaranteed a continued body of inspiration! This small framed art quilt will be missed, and there is currently a hole on my foyer table where it has sat for most of this year but I am delighted someone liked it enough to take it home.
Last year at the Bay of Plenty Open Studios I included a process table with some examples of process pieces. The feedback received was that the samples were works of art in themselves. I create samples when I am exploring a new concept or to try an idea out without going too big. Mostly the samples work and become little art works.
One piece sold at the Open Studios and the other two I had framed(in first image of blog) and they both sold at the AQS.
Reflections continue to inspire me and exploring new ways of exploring and expressing them in textiles has been a personal mission in the last few years (my photography collection attests to the fact that I am obsessed with reflections - smile). "An Isolated Island", and "A Precarious Life" are the latest reflections art quilts and both received unsolicited positive comments which helped to allay my uncertainty about them. "An Isolated Island" is a hand painted and stitched art quilt while "A Precarious Life" is raw edge applique and some painted areas in the sky.
Being a Guest Exhibitor with the Auckland Quiltmakers was a positive and encouraging experience. The Guild members were very welcoming and helpful and I appreciated the opportunity to be part of their annual Show. Thank you for the opportunity to exhibit with you AQ. I loved meeting and seeing work by quilters I follow on social media.
