About me
I am a painter, printmaker and designer of textiles. I own a small fabric company called Cloth that I set up almost 25 years ago, because it made sense at the time and still does now.
I work with a small team of people who love what they do, making textiles by hand, the old fashioned way.
I collaborate with others for the joy of making something together that we couldn’t make alone.
In Blackheath, I run imperfect workshops for the creatively curious. I take commissions and I exhibit. My favourite place to be is working in my studio.
I’ve written a book and a manifesto to live by.
I live a simple life. It feels good.
ClothFabric
It wasn’t long after I came to Australia that I started a business designing and hand-printing fabric. I wanted to make contemporary and natural fabric for people's homes, and I wanted to make it locally and sustainably. For me, continuing the tradition of hand-printed flatbed fabric production is more important than ever, in this increasingly digital world.
I started Cloth almost 25 years ago. Today my designs continue to be inspired by the Australian landscape and printed in small batches by hand in a tin shed in regional NSW.
We are in the process of renovating the ClothFabric site, to showcase my process and philosophy, over 25 years of designs and inspiration.
If you want to buy fabric by the metre, end rolls or short pieces or request a swatch, head to the brand new ClothFabricShop website.
ArtWork
The work I make is inspired by the materials I use and the environment I'm in. The land, the sea, the plants and animals around me.
My art practice is where my textile designs begin, but the art I make is also very much its own thing.
Every art work I make begins with being curious, really looking, and then drawing loosely and a bit intuitively.
The aim is always to enjoy the experience of flow, and keep the work simple, and full of the pleasures of layering, colours and shapes.
When it's hard to paint the clouds, we draw the mountains.
- The Imperfect Manifesto -
The Imperfect Manifesto
It was a warm spring afternoon when we wrote this. Sitting around in our backyard with a glass of wine, we were talking about what mattered to us, what we felt about life. What began as a bit of picnic philosophy became a set of guiding principles. For me, these are words to live by.
Making things makes me feel good, and making things out of the scraps that most people turf out to landfill makes me feel even better.
I save all my scraps, organise them into colour groups and curate ScrapCloth bundles of loveliness. These are ready to make into curtains or lampshades or cushions or anything else I can think of.
ScrapCloth
It's good to slow down. ScrapCloth encourages you to do just that. To take some time to make something with your own hands. ScrapCloth bundles can be used along with other fabrics - like old pairs of jeans or existing curtains - to make something with good old-fashioned slow stitching. It's a lovely relaxing thing to do and something of a lost art.
Making things makes us feel good.
- The Imperfect Manifesto -
Imperfect Workshops
I believe everyone is born creative, but so many people don't realise this. That's why I've been running what I call imperfect workshops now for a wee while. I love doing them. LookDrawPrint, EveryoneCanDraw and my new SweetSpot workshops are hands-on experiences for the creatively curious, where I teach how to embrace chance and imperfection and focus on process.
Some are held onsite at my studio in the Blue Mountains just two hours from Sydney and others are held elsewhere. Scroll down to book a spot for workshops currently scheduled.
In this small group workshop, you'll learn to simplify the complex structure of native plants through my LookDrawPrint process. You will leave with a single large-scale multi-layered motif printed on fabric, like this stunner by Anna at an earlier Rough Track Workshop.
There are only six spots for this class, so get cracking if you want one.
In this small group workshop, you'll learn to simplify the complex structure of native plants through my LookDrawPrint process. You will leave with a single large-scale multi-layered motif printed on fabric, like this stunner by Jodie at the Happenstore.
There are only six spots for this class, so carpe diem if you want one.
Everyone can draw, even with their eyes closed. Even standing on one leg. Even with one arm behind their back. You'll see.
I've designed this experimental drawing workshop to help you get drawing again, tapping into the pure pleasure of responding to what you see. You'll be drawing in a way that's loose and fluid, intuitive and gestural. It will probably get messy and it will definitely feel good.
There are just six spots for this class and it's bang smack in the middle of my 29 acres of heaven in the Blue Mountains.
Everyone can draw, even with their eyes closed. Even standing on one leg. Even with one arm behind their back. You'll see.
I've designed this experimental drawing workshop to help you get drawing again, tapping into the pure pleasure of responding to what you see. You'll be drawing in a way that's loose and fluid, intuitive and gestural. It will probably get messy and it will definitely feel good.
There are six spots for this class and it's bang smack in the middle of my 29 acres of heaven in the Blue Mountains.
In this small group workshop, you'll learn to simplify the complex structure of native plants through my LookDrawPrint process. On the Saturday, you'll make a single large-scale multi-layered motif printed on fabric, and on the Sunday, working with Kara Wood, you'll transfer your design onto a simple slab-built clay platter. Kara will fire and glaze your claywork and send it out to you in the post.
There's an auspicious eight spots only for this class of double happiness. If you are keen, book in quick.
Imperfection is our ally.
- The Imperfect Manifesto -
ClothBound
This is my first ever book.
It’s about my creative process over twenty years of designing and making ClothFabric. It's a labour of love that I worked on with a group of lovely and talented people.
ClothBound tracks the development of my work all the way from first images and notes made in my sketch books through to resolved designs and collections. In the book I tell those stories, champion the imperfect and offer up a modest philosophy of sorts. This is heart and soul of Cloth in 240ish pages, and I'm quite proud of it.
Pop-up shop
It was a cracking summer pop-up in my studio and gallery space in Blackheath, cheers to all who came, and to our Helen who always helps with such enthusiasm and flair.
We've got plans for more pop-ups during 2020, so if you want to be kept in the loop, subscribe to my mailing list and follow me on Instagram.
Collaborations
I've been privileged to do some lovely residencies and collaborative projects in the last few years.
One of my favourites was with the State Library of New South Wales, which I worked on when I was in my old studio at Twice Lucky. Filmmaker Sabrina Organo made a film at that time about the collaboration. Part One is called Design for Life.
To watch it, click below.
Rough Track
I live in Blackheath in the Blue Mountains on the Rough Track on 29 acres above the Grand Canyon. It's a place that inspires me every day.
I love sharing the experience with students in my onsite and residential workshops, anyone who comes to see a show in Rough Track Gallery, and guests staying in our two ironstone cabins.
If you'd like a retreat on the Rough Track, click on the link below to see the cabins website and make a booking.
When you get right down to it, the essential thing is to do what you do with your whole heart.
- The Imperfect Manifesto -
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JULIE'S STUDIO +
ROUGH TRACK WORKSHOP AND GALLERY
325 EVANS LOOKOUT ROAD
BLACKHEATH NSW 2785
