Deb K Williams

A group show responding to the theme of 'Tactile'.

I was a recipient of a Making Space grant from the Moreland Council. I used this opportunity to explore the process of reconstituting locally sourced clay found near my home. I created a series of small clay works that reflected my interest in Melrose Ware, the domestic table ware that was created in the ‘art pottery division’ of The Hoffman Brick, Tile and Pottery Company, in Brunswick during the 1930’s. Melrose Ware extensively used indigenous flora and fauna motifs as decorative elements in the work.

An exhibition with Sandra Tobias. Textiles and drawings. Deb K Williams responds to the connection between various textile processes and drawing, and the contemplative, meditative nature of these activities. Using graphite, natural dyes, inks, acrylics and collaged felt, silk and cotton, the works reflect an interest in hybrid forms and more broadly the delights and strangeness of the natural world. Much of the work attempts to evoke the forms and textures of nature and increasingly issues of sustainability, ecology and inter-connectedness are examined. The embroidered ‘maps’ reflect upon the increasingly dense and vaguely toxic urban environments of inner cities, where the routes to greener spaces are ever diminishing but increasingly necessary. The graphite drawings form part of a larger body of work that reinterprets a personal archive of actual and imagined landscape images. They are maps of imaginary but familiar worlds and respond to memory, atmosphere and place.

 Making Space 2021- Moreland Council Grant. I was a recipient of a Making Space grant from the Moreland Council. I used this opportunity to explore the process of reconstituting locally sourced clay found near my home. I created a series of small clay works that will form part of an installation reflecting my interest in mapping the laneways and verge gardens in my local area.  The works were bisque fired at Northcote Pottery Supplies, Weston Street, Brunswick. 

A group show at 33 Tinning Street, Brunswick.   Art work by Deb K Williams, Sandra Tobias and Natasha Boerer.  The textile works reflect my interest in hybrid forms and more broadly the delights and strangeness of the natural world.  The drawings form part of a larger body of work, that reinterprets a personal archive of actual and imagined landscape images. They respond to the notion of being lost in the flow and are a map of an imaginary but familiar world.

Solitude and Solace Solitary walks during the winter months throughout the streets of Brunswick and Royal Park are the basis for these small intimate embroideries. 'A Foggy day in Brunswick' are two imaginary maps depicting dense urban environments with possible routes to greener spaces.  Pale winter mists dampen the laneways and solace is found in the majesty of trees.  Embroidery thread and mesh. Both embroideries are 10 cm x 10 cm. 

Slow Territory responds to the connection between stitching, weaving and drawing, and the contemplative, meditative nature of these activities. Using natural dyes, inks, acrylics,  and collaged felt, silk and cotton, the works respond to a range of natural processes such as the cycle of rehydration and evaporation found within salt lakes, tidal drawings of bush fire ash on coastal areas and verdant growth on lava rocks.   Notions of distilling an atmosphere of place are explored and the works form a map of remembrance and meditative intent. 

Theme: Peace and the Pursuit of Happiness Squirrels in Franklin Park      Cotton thread, Indigo dyed silk.        51cm x 31 cm                        Peace comes from being in the flow, from finding a sense of equilibrium in a chaotic and increasingly challenging world. This work was inspired by daily walks through a historic urban park, and reflects my interest in the intersection between walking, drawing, and stitching. Using a repeated running stitch on a scrap of hand dyed indigo silk I have attempted to create an imaginary map of the park and the sense of calm I experienced during these walks.   ‘Squirrels in Franklin Park‘ is a distillation of an ‘atmosphere of place’ and the work forms a record of observation and meditative intent.

Handgerdir Minjagripir - Selfmade Souvenirs. Artist residencies provide the opportunity to immerse oneself in another environment and by doing so, re-invigorate ones curiosity about materials, techniques and ideas. This residency at the Icelandic Textile Centre, Blondous   provided a relatively uninterrupted stretch of time whereby experiments were made, ideas tested and observations recorded. My time in Blondous culminated in a group exhibition at the at Kvennaskolinn residence.  Textilsetur - Icelandic Textile Centre,  Blonduos. Embroidered map of  Blönduós , Iceland.  Hand dyed and hand embroidered on felt.  Documentation of towns visited in and around at  Blönduós.  Hand dyed and hand embroidered on felt.  Graphite drawings with woven elements,  Blönduós, Iceland. 

Land-shapes. Graphite, Ink on rag.     I am very interested in exploring the ways in which we respond to the richness and diversity of the natural world. Much of my work attempts to evoke the forms and textures of nature and increasingly issues of sustainability, ecology and inter-connectedness are examined.  These interconnecting drawings form part of a larger body of work, that reinterprets a personal archive of actual and imagined landscape images. They respond to the notion of being lost in the flow, of capturing a moment in time, of distilling an atmosphere of place and are a map of an imaginary but familiar world

Weaving the Kimberley   I spent ten days in the Kimberley region soaking up stories, atmospheres and colours. I saw apparitions, willy willies, fossils and the Bee-Eaters iridescent wings. I marveled at the tangled radial roots systems of the mangroves and the rich red earth. I laughed with old friends and strengthened new ones.    I then came back to Melbourne and started to paint and weave. Using the connecting roots of the mangrove as a metaphor, the warp and weft threads came to symbolize the various threads of my Kimberley experience. Using  Adobe Photoshop®  allowed me to layer these moments and in doing so, reflect upon the fluid nature of time and memory.   

Light Drawings created at J ulia Street Creative Space, Portland,  Victoria. Photographs, emulsion, pencil, varnish.     Light Drawings - J ulia Street Creative Space, Portland,  Victoria