TRISH TODD

A Stitch in Time comprises sixteen works produced over a four-year period in Queensland and Tasmania. The paintings were composed in three distinct series, yet each reflects a common interest in the patterns and techniques found in textile arts such as tapestry, quilt making, and basket weaving.

The early works are composed of painted tiles of recycled timber. These individual tiles are pieced together, almost like a jigsaw puzzle, to create playful configurations of pattern and colour. The middle works are more minimal in their composition and draw inspiration from the designs of 20th-century blankets and textiles.

Painted and drawn on birch board, the large grids of colour and thin orthogonal lines are reminiscent of threads stitched through fabric. The later works, the smallest series of paintings, take cues from basket weaving, echoing the over and under of woven material through interlaced strips of colour.

The common thread through all these works is the inspiration drawn from traditional forms of craft and design. I like to create paintings which begin with geometric patterns, and yet also leave room for play and experimentation. And like the artworks themselves, for me the process of painting them is a rhythmic, structured, and often meditative experience.