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Artist Statement
Working from her Flinders (VIC) studio, weaver Emma Shepherd practices one of the world's oldest crafts with the sensibility of an artist deeply embedded in her environment. Thinking through fabric, its strength and its structure, Shepherd has acquired an innate understanding of textiles as a universal language, and the long history of weaving as a site of innovation, intuition, and intimacy.
The Bauhaus ethos remains central to Shepherd’s practice, where art, craft and design are seamlessly integrated without hierarchy. Carefully selected yarn affords Shepherd the opportunity to reflect on the deeper lineage of fibre, allowing each material - especially those collected from sites around the studio - to shape the work in a gentle yet deliberate way. She sensitively honours the landscape within which she lives and works by periodically folding in colours resembling the verdant foliage, the dark tones of tree trunks, the neutrals of the sand and stone of her coastal hometown.
Theme: SOLAR
I wanted to capture the feeling of the sun on my back, those long, languid summer days where time loosens. Sun shining, earth baking, heat rising. Naturally dyed silk and Australian wool are combined with painted warps and hammered beads to create quiet but energetic pieces. Banana fibre and grasses lean into the dry heat, bleached tones, kindling. Quiet compositions held together with a material warmth and honesty.
— Emma Shepherd, Flinders
