Cherrie Stevens
Weave it, Knit it, Felt it, Sew it! Cherrie indulges in a variety of textile crafts in her spacious studio set amongst the Coromandel bush.
During the tour an ongoing SAORI style banner will be woven and you are invited to take part. Grab a handful of your favourite colour yarn and weave an inch or two-Cherrie, will show you how.
A United Kingdom born artist I was previously involved in creating traditional stained glass leaded panels in Suffolk, England. I came to travel and eventually live in New Zealand in 2002. Since that time I have been creating textile crafts using mostly New Zealand wools. Felting was my first love and I gained expertise and experience through courses with Raewyn Penrose (Te Aroha) and expanded my skills with workshops in shibori silk dyeing given by Yanny Split (Huntly). My creative journey took a new direction when I joined an artists collective in Coromandel and offered my work for sale in the SOURCE gallery.
During last winter at a fibre festival in Canada I discovered the art of Japanese SAORI weaving and took a course in this traditional style. SAORI is a zen art form of weaving which emphasizes free expression…. colours unfold, designs emerge, and beauty blooms.
Over the past year I have practiced and developed this form of weaving concentrating on SAORI principles whilst putting a New Zealand twist on my work by incorporating handspun and hand dyed wools. A variety of textures are included in the weavings, some manufactured items and sometimes found objects from the natural world.
I work from a studio in Coromandel surrounded by bush and I find the colours and play of light and shade a continuous source of inspiration.
