Well, what I thought was going to be a quiet month turned out not to be so! I was contacted out of the blue by Cupola Gallery in Sheffield to see if I had any work available for their next exhibition ‘Kilter Kelter.’ The exhibition on a recycling theme is an intercontinental collaboration between Cupola Gallery in Sheffield and Spaza Art Gallery in Johannesburg, South Africa and runs from 26 July to 8 September 2013.

I work a lot with recycled clothing and upholstery fabrics as a base for my stitching so I was delighted to be asked to be part of this exhibition. I also recycle images from my family and friends’ photo albums. ‘Loaves and Fishes’, made in 2010 is portrait of my Grandparents Harry and Annie Jane Smith. The title refers not only to their religious bent (they were both staunch  Methodists) but also to the fact that Harry was a Master Confectioner and Baker who ran the village shop in Saxilby, Lincolnshire for many years. The ‘Closed’ sign refers to the demise of the village shop with the advent of supermarkets and my signature fish on Annie’s lap refers to their hometown of Grimsby, once the busiest fishing port in the world. The piece is made from applied recycled fabrics with hand and machine stitch. Even the wool used for Harry’s jumper is recycled, unravelled from an old cardigan!

I will also be showing some small studies including two pieces made from tray cloths embroidered by my Mum, Muriel May Stone.

‘Kelter’ is a local Yorkshire slang work for rubbish and ‘Takataka’ is Swahili for rubbish. So ‘Kilter Kelter’ meets ‘Take Takataka’ and on the opening night 26th July from 7.30 pm Cupola will set up a large screen and live web link so artists can share ideas and talk to each other across continents. Some of the smaller African Art works will also be available to order via Cupola.

Exhibiting Artists from the Spaza Art Gallery. https://www.facebook.com/Spaza.Art Jacob Ramaboya, Andrew Lindsay Dionne Macdonald, Gift Mangena, Justin Wells, Karel Miles, Imbali Arts, Hiltrud Aliber, Evil Jon, Stacey Macdonald, Bethuel, and many others.. I am particularly intrigued to hear that they have a sound piece. Recycled sounds!”

Cupola’s exhibiting artists include: Inguna, Susan Waters, Karin Walland, Jason Heppenstall (HeppoArt), Gavin Darby, James Lake,  Lawrence Simonson, Ros Ingram, Klaus Pinter, Evelyn Albrow, Sue Stone, Sue Carter, Josie Beszant, Kimberly Werner, Hayley lock, Ella Robinson, Anne Menary, Aiden Spencer, Rachael Bennett

Work ranges from dresses made from salmon skins and old maps and elegant reclaimed steel scuptures, stunning portraits made from cardboard boxes to amazing paper and textile collages, miniature paintings on bottle tops and jewellery made from old colouring pencils.

Wise words from Karen Sherwood is the Founder, Director and Curator, Cupola Contemporary Art. “Next time you go to throw something away, just consider that thought and talent can transform almost any object into a thing of beauty and wonder.  I hope you enjoy both exhibitions, even if you can only experience one of them ‘virtually’!”

http://www.cupolagallery.com/