The Geylang Commission

For the show at Madder Moon, Singapore in September/ October last year I had created a series of proverbs drawn from the rich ethnic diversity of Singapore. Geylang as I had named the piece in the picture above sold along with a few others.
The gallery had displayed what remained of my work until the end of the year. One fine day in November a visitor to the gallery took a liking to my work. He bought a piece called Rice, a Malay proverb -' If you plant grass you won't eat rice' and asked for details of my blog. The man went back,after researching my blog and bought a second piece entitled Murukku and asked if Geylang which he had seen in my blog post here,could be commissioned.

I was delighted to work on this commission.Here is a detail of the commissioned piece before I sent it on its way to Singapore. 

        

The commissioned piece is the same size as the original but I've changed the colours so each one has a personality of its own.

The three pieces- Rice, Murukku and Geylang  are going to give someone's kitchen a little local Singapore flavour.

A Commission

About two weeks back I was shutting shop for the night and decided to check mail and there was this mail from Madder Moon requesting the commission of a piece.

Jane had wanted to buy 'Life is too short..' which was on display at the group show Fibre to Fabric curated by Madder Moon in September but it had sold.

Overwhelmed and elated best describes my state at that point. A deadline loomed large and this was the first commission for my fibre art. It must be adrenaline that got me through the past couple of weeks. 

Buttonhole wheels, appliqued flowers,fabric weaving and running stitch. All the usual suspects which find a place in the pieces I create. 

The commissioned piece is on its way to Singapore and Jane should have it just in time for Christmas. I hope the recipient of this piece finds inspiration in the words of this quote.

Africa inspired throws

My trip to Tanzania in August inspired these patchwork throws. A small group of women in North Karnataka made these hand sewn throws with noil silk cut offs from Plantation House.    

 Indian Ocean. The blues of the ocean and the soft white sand. It's magical in Zanzibar. R and I sat and watched the colours of the water change as the tide came in and the sun
made its journey across the skies to finally set. Absolutely spectacular.

 Masai. The Masai wrapped in their red blankets, so dramatic in the golden brown Savannah.

 The savannah in Tanzania. Browns and golds and the blue sky. Serengeti - the endless plains with the odd acacia tree I've never experienced such wide open spaces before and seen such exotic animals.

Spice Market. The colourful market in Zanzibar,the different colours of the produce and the awnings protecting the shops from the sun inspired this throw.

  

Spice Market. The colourful market in Zanzibar,the different colours of the produce and the awnings protecting the shops from the sun inspired this throw I used lungis. A lungi is a woven  cotton fabric which is usually checked and worn by men in India like a sarong. Currently this Bollywood song has made the humble lungi top of the charts.
The throws are reversable and are generously sized rectangular lounge throws 74" x 48".

The show at Madder Moon was a thumping success. Some pieces of my work sold which has me so excited. I now have to find more venues and galleries which will show my work. If like me you find yourself  wondering where you can find an audience for you work there's good advise to be found here.

Have a good weekend.

Fibre to Fabric - An exhibition at Madder Moon, Singapore

On display at Madder Moon, Singapore are my embellished fragments. This is a group show of fiber artists from Singapore and India. 

Delighted to be exhibiting my work alongside such talented artists.

I chose to represent the cultural mix of people of different diverse ethnic backgrounds through their proverbs. The ethnic diversity of Malay, Chinese, Tamil and many more makes Singapore such a vibrant lively place.

Patchwork, applique and embroidery went into making this piece. The material used is tussar silk. 

A Murukku is a savoury crunchy treat which is usually in a spiral form. There are a number of different types made by Tamilians who hail from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. So I've embroidered names of the different types of Murukku in the Tamil script.  

There are Singaporean proverbs too I discovered. 

       

A Malay proverb. Tussar silk, patchwork in a boro style and embroidery.(This piece has been featured in the Straits Times Life, 27th September 2013 - An Hour@ the Museum)

Fiber to Fabric opened on  24th September and is there to view at Madder Moon until 5th October.
Do drop in if you are in Singapore and want to be culturally enriched!

Madder Moon
16 Ann Siang Road,
01 -01 Singapore,
Singapore 069696

Phone + 65 6225 2435

More pics of the show here on Facebook.