Fiberworks - A Celebration of South African
Fiber and Textile Artists

Title: The Garden of Inner Harmony

Description: This work of multi-layered fabrics illustrates my passion for colour and texture, and represents the peace and harmony that comes from working and relaxing in my tropical Natal garden.

I have used silks hand-dyed with Arashi Shibori techniques to create the subtlety of the background to demonstrate my feelings of inner peace, while the embroidered embellishments are worked over lace, which have been coloured with sublistatic dyes.

The composition is my interpretation of both the sights and the sounds within my garden, where the central swathe of embroidered stitches reminds me of the song of birds and the rustle of leaves in the wind.

Title: Nightborne Flame

Description: (Carolyn moved house between the Garden of Inner Harmony and Nightborne Flame.) I lives in the high rolling grasslands of Kamberg as they sweep across to the Drakensberg mountains, where our winters are sunny, dry, and very cold at night. This is when natural veldt fires sweep across the landscape. In spring the burnt areas become beautiful carpets of grasses and rich, colourful flowers.

Occasionally runaway fires happen which are a danger to life and property, especially when they happen at night!

I recently experienced one of these night runaways on our property, and they are quite terrifying. The flames reach into the sky, borne along by capricious winds, with sparks flying in all directions, while the shadows of friends and neighbours helping to douse the fires appear in brief flashes.

All very dramatic but at the same time quite inspirational. I have tried to capture this in "Nightborne Flame": the flames, the sparkle and the smoke drifting across the moon, the vivid chaos and strength of the fire, but also the beauty that follows.

Title: And then there was Light

Description:

Title: Wings - a Spiritual Quest

Description: This piece depicts the wings of the soul traveling towards the unknown. It represents the journey of life - the soul's progress from darkness to spiritual light and rebirth in an age that appears to have lost its way. It is therefore a meditative piece, to bring about a renewal of the soul, and to restore tranquility and peace.

Title: Shibori Silks

Description: I live with my husband & other animals on a smallholding in the beautiful Midlands of KwaZulu Natal, from where I run textile art workshops in my studio and dye house. My love of colour is inspired by this wonderful world heritage area and is evident in all my work. My pieces of silk take on a rhythmic quality by using the ancient art of Japanese Shibori, extending it into contemporary forms. The three dimensional effects from the manipulation of the silk & successive layers of dye, produce a rich, vibrant, complex surface of patterns.

Title: Gaia - a Sacred Garden

Description: This work is intended as a meditative piece to bring about renewal of the soul and restore tranquility. In Pythagorean theory the number X (ten) is holy, of which there are 10 within the work, and represents divine power and the quintessence of perfection.

Title: The Inbetween

Description: The piece is a cruciform shape and depicts the two souls of man - one mortal and the other immortal - the work is intended to be a meditative piece to bring about renewal of the soul & restore peace and tranquillity.

Title: Elvis Khumalo

Description: A really enjoyable fun piece from a theme called "Hats of Africa"

Title: Celestial Light

Description: The impetus for the work came from watching a storm fly across the hills, when for a brief moment in time, a sunbeam broke through the clouds and lit up a brilliant landscape. The scene reminded me of the following lines from a poem by William Wordsworth -
"There was a time when meadow, grove, and stream,
the earth and every common sight,
to me did seem apparelled in celestial light..."

Title: Quest - a voyage of discovery.

Description: Mankind's curiosity of the unknown has always been a stimulating subject. Whether it be looking into the furtherest limits of the universe through ' state of the art ' telescopes, travelling to the four corners of the Earth, or diving into the depths of our deepest oceans we have an insatiable desire to know what is there.
While doing research for this piece of work I came across these words by T.S.Eliot -
"We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."

Title: Africa Burning.

Description: A detail from a work showing shibori on hand dyed silks

Carolyn Zelenka