2002

hand-lettering on hand-made papers from Japan, Nepal & Philippines, raffia, cotton

105 x 85 cm

This pastiche represents various elements in our society. Over the centuries, each component has undergone modification, whilst at the same time impacting on the other facets.

Important concepts, influential people and pithy quotes are written on the paper within each section - this represents the transmission of information, as well as acknowledging the importance of our recorded history. To symbolise the diversity of the world’s cultures, the paper has been made in different countries, from a variety of fibres, in a rainbow of colours.

The crocheted raffia sections joining the paper-pieces create the words ‘Fabric of Society’. This symbolises the ties (sometimes frayed), that connect and unify our world.

1997

hand & machine-appliqué, hand quilting on fabric

55 x 92 cm; 55 x 55 cm; 55 x 92 cm

These quilts were my response to a 1997 Queensland Quilters challenge. Because I love lettering in all shapes and forms, I decided to try to incorporate this into my entry.

ENVELOPE 1 - something from the garden

1. A Drunkard’s Path block, using the fabric provided - a khaki green with yellow, teal and rust coloured splotches!. The drunk hasn’t swept the leaves off his path for ages.
2. This block using lettering - the apple (something from the garden) is made up from two inverted letter G’s (G is something from the word “garden”). The core of the apple and the grub are made from the fabric in this envelope, and their outlines are also based on two letter G’s.

ENVELOPE 2 - add a nine patch

1. A traditional nine-patch block using plain and patterned fabrics.
2. A “non-traditional” nine-patch block, composed of nine 9's radiating out from the centre.

ENVELOPE 3 - a song title

1. A traditional block with a song title as its name - “Crazy for You” - a crazy patchwork block, with 4 U in the centre. The 4 is made of two crossed trumpets, and the U is a shaped like a lyre.
2. “O Sweet Pea (won’t you be my girl)” was popular when I was growing up - the design is based on the letter P (for Patricia) mirrored and repeated to form a circular design - the circle is an O, and I’m a sweet P. There are sweet pea flowers on the background fabric.

ENVELOPE 4 - do your favourite thing

1. A piece of fabric depicting some of my favourite things – calligraphy, plants, hearts, angels and stars. In another small section I cut out the letters of my name TRICIA SMOUT from the crazily-lettered background fabric and pieced them together to read TUCORITISAM - a make-believe word typical of my confused state of mind.
2. My logo for my calligraphy business - two letter S’s combined to create a P (for Patricia Smout). I am fond of this logo, and I guess I’m my own “favourite thing”, made in fabrics in my favourite colours and repeated six times to create a circular design.

ENVELOPE 5 - use the contents of this envelope

1. The fabric with six hearts on it reminded me of the bonds of friendship we share in our craft group, enclosed in a large heart representing our quilting “circle”.
2. A design based on hearts - the letter S (for Smout) is mirrored and repeated five times to create this design. There are five of us in our family and the hearts are all reaching out in different directions, yet all held together by the central common bond. The background fabric represents our family life - each with our own personalities (different colours) basically all heading along the path of life together, but occasionally tripping over each other, or backtracking a bit!

There is another design is based on the letter S - arranged in a horizontal row this time and using one of my favourite fabrics (a blend of purples, greens and blues).

ENVELOPE 6 - a penny for your thoughts

1. My immediate reaction when I opened this envelope was to utter the words “Ar, sh . .”- and if I spell my name Tricia in a different way (Trisha) then these letters when jumbled also spell “Ar, sh . .”
2. A collage of quotes about “money” and “thoughts” - written in different sizes and different scripts to emphasise my interest in all types of lettering.

1996

ink on Canson paper, Coral paper

33 x 33 cm

The word ALPHABET has been written in a circle to symbolise the connections between the letters as they are linked to form words and language. The background contains quotes about the essential roles that the alphabet and lettering played in the development of civilisation. The red and gold colours were chosen to signify the richness and importance of our literary traditions.

1999

pieced, hand-quilted fabric, beads

60 x 60 cm

Medieval alchemists believed that they could transmute base metals into gold by following an intricate set of procedures. In this present age, in a society which craves and values visually-rich stimuli, it could be said that we practise a new kind of alchemy of colour and sensation to produce illumination and revelation.

The accompanying booklet describes the alchemical symbolism included in this quilt.

1997

cut paper, acrylic ink

40 x 40 cm

The golden overlay design is formed from the letter S, mirrored and repeated five times. Each letter when combined with its mirror image creates a heart shape.

These five hearts symbolise the five members of our family - all linked by a common bond, yet each radiating out in different directions.

The lettering in the background relates the development of the letter S throughout its four thousand year history.

1997

machine appliqué, hand quilting, embroidered details on fabric

60 x 60 cm

A mandala is a Buddhist’s tool for focusing thoughts during meditation. It is a model which represents the perfected realm.

For Buddhists, both the making of, and the contemplation of, a mandala are important in the path towards spiritual enlightenment. During meditation, negative emotions are transformed into positive ones.

The colours and the symmetrical divisions in a mandala are significant. The circle shape is important because it signifies wholeness, completion and unity. The numbers 4 and 8 represent the Four Noble Truths of Buddhist philosophy and the Eightfold Path towards Enlightenment.

In Jungian psychology, a mandala visualised in dreams symbolises the dreamer’s striving for unity of self and completeness.

This quilt is my personal mandala, made in my favourite colours. For a Buddhist, contemplation of a mandala awakens his higher senses so that he might eventually perceive the inner mystical vision. So I hope this quilt will provide creative inspiration, focus and vision for me in my future quilt making.

1998

machine-appliquéd & machine-quilted fabric

58 x 58 cm

This wall hanging was made in response to a challenge to use the Egyptian fabric, combined with others of our own choice. I decided to use the Egyptian hieroglyph for eternity as the basis for my design. Hieroglyphs were the symbols used in Egyptian writings, and although not strictly ‘letters of the alphabet’, I still feel a strong attachment to them!

I have repeated the Ankh design in a circular pattern, and small ankhs are quilted in various places in the design. The background fabric represents the starry night of eternity. A small golden ankh is attached in the centre of the quilt.

1995

machine appliquéd lettering on fabric, machine quilting, embellishments

58 x 58 cm

Early this century Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote a children’s story which has now become a classic. In the story three children tend a long-neglected garden, and in the process find health and happiness. The book is called ‘The Secret Garden’ and is the inspiration for this wall-quilt.

I have constructed the words SECRET GARDEN to depict the tangle of branches and vines in the neglected garden. These words are appliquéd in dark green silk. The background fabrics represent the plants thriving and blossoming as they are tended by Mary, Colin and Dickon. The friendly robin, who led Mary to the garden, keeps an eye on the activity - and the rejuvenation of the children’s bodies and souls as they tend the plants.

The words quilted around the border are a direct quote from the book - ‘it was the sweetest most mysterious-looking place anyone could imagine’. I felt these words epitomised the wonder and magic of the secret garden.

1999

natural fibres (cotton, jute, hemp and raffia) crocheted to form words, mounted on leaf-shaped backgrounds of hand-made Japanese paper

160 x 50 cm

The three leaves represent the cycle of nature, and also the cyclical progression of human life, cultures, and fashions in the arts. The crocheting is done in natural fibres (cotton, jute, hemp and raffia) and forms words.

On the young leaf (in pale greens, creams and yellows) the quotation reads ‘the language of nature is universal’; the words on the more mature leaf say ‘nature speaks in symbols and signs’ (mid greens, dark greens and browns); the dead leaf has a message in Latin (considered to be a dead language, but still used as the language for classifying living organisms) - it reads ‘Deus æternus, arte sua, quæ natura est’ which translates as ‘nature is the art of God’.

The leaves all hang from the same branch, representing the cycle of birth, growth and decay, and the regeneration of new life from the seeds of the old. All living things progress through this cycle as do human civilisations, cultures and fashionable trends in our artforms. Just as decaying leaves are necessary to provide nutrients for new plants, and the seeds of the parent plant pass on the genetic inheritance, so the ideas and actual artworks from past cultures provide vital inspiration to fertilise our current endeavours.

1999

pearlescent inks on Ingres paper

25 x 45 cm

Whence did the wondrous mystic art arise, of painting speech and speaking with the eyes? That we, by tracing magic lines, are taught how to embody and to colour thoughts.

William Massey’s words are written in curved lines with tight spacing in order to suggest a graceful flow. The colours blend and shade so as to create a hypnotic mystical state.

1998

appliquéd, embroidered fabric

15 x 35 cm

This lettering is easier to decipher than that on some of the other pieces - probably because it is a single word, and is written in a horizontal line. I have shaped the letters with similar curves to unify the design. The word welcome is embroidered around the border to further enhance legibility. The colours were chosen to blend with my home furnishings.

2003

50 x 70 cm

appliquéd, pieced, quilted fabric, hand-lettering

The Web of Life is a delicate balance of interconnections and dependencies. The black and white represent the extreme diversity of life forms on our planet. Yet, if we learn to respect and appreciate these differences, we can all cooperate to live in peaceful harmony and avoid global chaos.

The central motif is a design based on the words WEB OF LIFE. This was cut from black fabric patterned with white spiders’ webs. I created a ‘reverse’ fabric by copying the spider-web pattern, interspersed with words indicating the interdependence of the natural world. On white fabric, I hand-lettered quotes about conservation and the balance of nature. All these fabrics were pieced as a series of borders around the central motif. This was then quilted in transparent shiny thread in a spider’s web design.

2005

50 cm (H) x 70 cm (W)

pieced and quilted fabric with hand-lettering

In an ideal unprejudiced society, people, with their own unique blend of personality, beliefs and talents, can be free to reach their fullest potential. They can then combine harmoniously with others to create a glorious spectrum of diversity.

Various quotes are written in the white borders. These describe the necessity to respect individual differences, blend complementary combinations, and revel in the harmony of the whole. The spectrum of humanity is a riotous blend of colour, creed and culture.

The two multicoloured fabrics in this quilt (the warm orange/reds and the cool green/blues) are very different, yet in the outer border they blend harmoniously to create a richer, more balanced whole (the full spectrum). Also, individually-coloured scraps of these two fabrics have been melded to form the word SPECTRUM in the centre of the quilt, showing that each unique contribution, however small, has a vital part to play in completing the full picture.

2001

palm fruiting stalk, lawyer vine, Canson papers, inks

55 cm diam x 20cm

The fruiting body plays a pivotal role in the life cycle of the palm tree. It protects the seeds until they are fully developed, and once this nurturing role is complete, it then falls to the ground, and, in its disintegration, provides nutrients for the next generation. Thus it is a powerful metaphor for the cycle of life continual regeneration, in which the death or transformation of one element is always essential for the continued existence of the whole.

Throughout history, and in most cultures, the circle epitomises unity, continuity and perfection. Wreaths can commemorate the past, as well as indicate renewed hope for the future.

So a circular wreath seemed a particularly appropriate structure to symbolise the duality of life and death and the growth and decay of the fruiting body in the continuous cycle of life.

1999

gouache & acrylic paint on paper

53 x 60 cm

The word Australia written across the continent symbolises European traditions which have been the dominant influences which have shaped Australia’s development for the past 200 years. The letters, although written in English (Australia’s official language), are shaped to resemble boomerangs and the elongated figures of northern aboriginal art. This represents our current attempts to recognise the importance of the original inhabitants of our country, and reconcile our differences.

The patchwork effect of the background represents the diversity of colour and climate in our vast land. The coastal areas of Australia contain lush fertile forests and productive farmlands. All our largest and busiest cities are on the coast. Further inland the country is drier and much more sparsely populated. There are vast inhospitable desert regions in central Australia as well as some spectacular gorges and rock formations. The changing blues of the sea contain splashes of colour to show the abundance of brightly-coloured marine life in the northern tropical waters, the more sombre depths of the temperate seas, and the colder treacherous expanse of the southern oceans.

Some of the patchwork sections contain the words of three well-known Australian poems and songs penned by our early white settlers - Advance Australia Fair is our National Anthem, Waltzing Matilda is a favourite bush ballad and My Country describes the diversity, beauty and climatic extremes of our land Alternating with these patches of white Australia are squares decorated with animals and boomerangs drawn in the manner of aboriginal art, as well as some squares with stencilled hands. The early Australian aborigines had no written culture and the paintings they created in caves, in their bark shelters and on their belongings were their means of communication and artistic expression. The paintings record their legends, taboos and ceremonies, and were drawn with ochre using stick-brushes, or sometimes hands and weapons were used as stencils, over which ochre was spat from the mouth.

This interlocking patchwork recognises the differences between the aborigines and the European settlers, yet echoes the wish of most Australians to harmonise our cultures and traditions to make Australia a truly great unified nation.

2005

25 x 45 cm

tapestry wool, canvas

The words VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE have been formed into a rectangular design, and worked in black tapestry wool. The spaces behind the letters are filled with many different colours (none of which are repeated) to symbolise the spectrum of experiences we each experience in our daily lives.

(Labyrinth & Mandala)

made in collaboration with Phillipa Rooke

2003

Merino wool, hemp sliver, silk, silk organza, card, acrylic ink

53cm diam

Nomadic peoples carry their homes with them, as does the spiritual nomad. There is no place to put down roots until the journey’s end. People of many different cultures and religions use labyrinths and mandalas to assist them in their meditations. Whether they physically walk the labyrinth, or mentally traverse the mandala, it is the journey, rather than the destination, which is all-important.

In these two representations, the colours symbolise the search for life’s higher meaning. Once spiritual nomads have decided to embark on the quest, they negotiate the complexities of the path until they reach the egoless central space.

1989

gouache, coloured pencil, paper

30 x 40 cm

Quotes about music are written in curved lines to suggest the rhythmic flow of a lilting tune. The gradations of colour represent the variations in the tone and timbre of the music.

2000

pearlescent inks, Canson paper

35 x 23 cm

There is sometimes only a very fine distinction between reality and dreams. Here the words ‘Reality’ and ‘Dreams’ create a background impression as they alternate though the colours of the spectrum.

Quotes about the importance of dreams are written in gold to symbolise the rich yet subtle influence that hopes and aspirations can have on our subconscious minds.

2001

acrylic paint on board, silk fibres, felted fleece

36 x 50 cm

The background text is a poem describing the choices we make during our lives. It is written in colours progressing through the full colour spectrum. The colour variations symbolise the development of our personalities and the current patterns of our lives, which are influenced by combinations of preceding events.

The word CHOICES is cut from felt, made from merino fleece, and the word influences is created in silk. These words overlay the background text, showing that, despite the vagaries of fate, we are all indeed capable of exercising some control over our own lives.

1998

hand-appliquéd alphabet designs, hand quilted on background fabrics

225 x 45 cm

Each diamond shape contains a design based on one letter of the alphabet. The letter A is at the top, then B and C, then D .... continuing in this pattern until the last few letters .... W and X, then Y, then & (ampersand) and Z, and finally my logo.

Each pattern was created by mirroring and repeating the letter to produce a circular pattern. These letter-lace designs were then transferred to black satin and appliquéd over a variety of background fabrics (in my favourite colours) to create a rich, sensuous ‘stained-glass’ tapestry of the alphabet.

This piece is designed to be hung vertically as a wall-hanging (reminiscent of the elongated stained glass windows in Gothic cathedrals), or else worn draped over the shoulders as a shawl or stole.