An inspiring woman who pursued her love of quilting and embroidery via further education, whilst raising her family, Carolyn Sullivan is now at a point in her life where she can focus on her work, happily ensconced in her much longed for studio in the Southern Highlands of NSW.
We met Carolyn at the Geelong TAFTA Forum towards the end of 2008 where she was teaching collage using fabric and paper but her reputation preceded her via the two books she has to her credit, ‘Companion Pieces’ and ‘Quilted One Block Marvels’, not to mention her reputation as both a respected artist and teacher.
Carolyn, a dedicated hand stitcher, says she was encouraged to sew and knit as a child as soon as she showed some interest in it. “And, like many Mums, I sewed and knitted for my two children until I was told the clothes ‘sucked’. Yes, I think that was the word that was used,” she says with a laugh. A trained high school teacher, Carolyn retired from full time teaching when her (now adult) daughter was in grade six but continued to do casual teaching for the following 12 years.
During this period she was able to pursue her creative interests more fully and became involved with groups such as the Quilters’ Guild NSW, the Ozquilt Network and the Embroiderers Guild, often serving and holding offices on various committees. She began looking at further education and, in 2002, gained a (UK) City & Guilds Diploma in Embroidery via correspondence before heading back to University in 2003 to achieve her Diploma of Arts in art history and theory.
“It was strange to be surrounded by 18-year-olds at Sydney University and it was funny to be the student after being the teacher for so many years but I wanted to learn more and I decided this was the way to do it,” she says.
“City & Guilds really made me think about design,” says Carolyn, analysing the effect formal education has had on her work. “I was not from an art background; in fact I dismally failed art at school. Latin and economics were the way I went. This course introduced me to a whole other side of life.
“I don’t particularly like drawing, but I taught myself to observe what I want to see. I guess I was on the search to discover how I could be a good quilter and embroiderer without being a great drawer... I do have a few drawings up around the place I am proud of now.”
Living on five acres on the outskirts of a national park, Carolyn now has the luxury of stepping out into a majestic natural canvas from which she takes great inspiration. “I take a lot of photos, I blow things up, I trace them... recently I have been picking up on details such as Scribbly Gum markings, insect trails, the lines on bark, lines of fungus and cracks in the mud and they’ve all been making appearances in my work,” she says.
The move, more than four years ago, to the property where she and husband, Ken, now live has affected the actual fabrics and materials she works with too. In the past Carolyn worked with a lot of commercial and hand dyed fabrics but she says she has developed a “social conscience” since moving to Bundanoon and living with a septic system.
“I am making a lot of botanical dyes, the colours are not the same but neither is the environmental impact,” she explains. “These days I mainly use Eucalyptus bark and leaves. I occasionally use a mordant but not one of the nasty ones.” (A mordant is a substance used to set dyes on fabrics by forming an insoluble compound with the dye.)
Saying that, at the time of interview, Carolyn conceded she was working on a coloured quilt but it was aimed squarely at a Cotton Fibre Expo in Narrabri and was based on a pattern from her most recent book, ‘Quilted One Block Marvels’. She has also been doing a lot of leaf printing, taking advantage of the many deciduous trees that a previous owner planted on her property.
Despite the fact that Carolyn is the author of two books and a teacher with international (International Quilt Festival, Houston, plus Hong Kong) experience under her belt, she remains modest, saying that a lot of opportunities have come her way in a quiet means. TAFTA is one of her favourite teaching engagements, she says, mostly because organiser, Janet De Boer, is such a visionary and is so well organised but also because it is so social and the students are there to learn but also to have a great time.
“I love the teaching side of things,” she says. “I love challenging the students... sending them away thinking differently about things.” Carolyn says her classes are rarely aimed at beginners. She likes to “get hold” of people with good skills and dare them to try new things. “My classes tend to be more technique based,” she says. “It’s more design work; I’m likely to send people home with 200 pieces of work designed with which they might or might not go further.”
Quilts by Carolyn Sullivan can regularly be seen in exhibitions such as the Ozquilt Network’s ‘Australia Wide’ or the ‘My Place’ touring exhibition which can be seen from 6 April to 16 May at Minerva in New Zealand at Minerva (237 Cuba Street, Wellington) before it moves to France. She has also exhibited at the Manly Art Gallery and the ‘Dare to Differ’ exhibition at Prospect Gallery in Adelaide.
Living just two hours drive from Sydney or Canberra, Carolyn continues to keep in touch with the textile community she has been a part of for so long but she also stokes the creative fires by meeting with some local creative women every two weeks. “ One is a writer, one is a gardener, another is a wonderful photographer and one is a potter. We just sort of gravitated towards each other. I also get into the city for any major art exhibitions and, once a quarter, I go to Canberra to meet up with a group of quilters called the Experimentalists. It’s great. We set ourselves design exercises and share books and exhibition information,” she says.
But when it’s time to really concentrate on her own work Carolyn can now somewhat withdraw from the outside world, moving straight from the bed to her workroom in the morning, where she has joined two bedrooms to become one space, complete with a mighty set of shelves to store books and supplies. “Sometimes we’ll do the shopping and that will last for a couple of weeks. Then I can really settle down to sewing!” she says with delight.
Carolyn’s books
Contact Carolyn direct to order:
Quilted One Block Marvels Learn how to draw original quilt blocks based on shapes you see around you. By taking a single unit and manipulating it through repetition, rotations, and mirror images, you can create unique block designs of your own. Three different methods of repositioning the blocks are explained. Fifteen projects based on the Carolyn’s designs are given. Understanding the process will enable you to enjoy the endless opportunities for making dynamic quilts from simple blocks created by manipulating your line drawings.
Companion Pieces
For those caught in the emotional battle between quilting and embroidery, Carolyn has created 11 wonderful quilts with embroideries to match. Make one of Carolyn’s or design one of your own. Learn how to rotate a traditional block it into something completely different then simply follow her clear instructions for translating the designs into embroideries or quilts.
Name
Carolyn Sullivan
Based
New South Wales
Contact
PO Box 469, Bundanoon, NSW, 2578
Email
carolyngsullivan@hotmail.com
More information
TAFTA, The Australian Forum for Textile Arts www.ggcreations.com.au/tafta [ggcreations.com.au]
Opus School of Textile Arts
www.opus-online.co.uk [penrose-press.com]
City & Guilds
www.cityandguilds.com [cityandguilds.com]
University of Sydney
www.usyd.edu.au [usyd.edu.au]
Ozquilt Network Inc
www.ozquiltnetwork.org.au [ozquiltnetwork.org.au]
My Place Quilts
www.myplacequilts.com [myplacequilts.com]
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