Lea-Anne Sheather art exhibition, Handle with Care

• Where: Te Kōputu a te whanga a Toi, Whakatāne galleries
• When: On until November 2
• Cost: Free

LEA-ANNE Sheather’s vibrant exhibition, Handle with Care, delves into her deep-rooted connections with nature, showcasing an imaginative array of textile art.

On display at Te Kōputu a te whanga a Toi, this exhibition is one of three newly launched shows in the gallery.

Sheather, a multi-disciplainary artist, began working on Handle with Care about four years ago.

“I have always done a bit of stitching and sewing and knitting and crafts... I was hankering to do a show for a long time,” she reflects.

A pivotal moment came when she was inspired by the work of a Japanese artist she greatly admires, along with a profound dream that reshaped her artistic vision. “I just picked up a piece of blanket and off I went with it. It coincided with things in my life,” she explains.

Many of the larger pieces in the exhibition are crafted from recycled woollen blankets, incorporating collages, embroidery, and appliqué on silk, cotton, and wool. Sheather describes these works as an exploration of the interconnectedness of all life forms, influenced by her mother-in-law’s illness and loss.

“During that time, I had a dream where I felt my body die, but my essence joined others in a profound sense of connectivity,” she shares. This experience of interconnectedness serves as the driving force behind her blanket works.

In contrast, the smaller, highly detailed fabrications are inspired by her daily encounters with nature, depicting the imaginary “Island of Woo” – a place where the vibrancy of nature emerges.

“I pay close attention to details in the scenes, which often reveal themselves as mini landscapes,” she notes. These works evoked imagery reminiscent of a coral reef teeming with life and energy.

“The vibrancy of nature and that whole spiritual dimension. The returning of the body to the ground, these were the things that were a lot on my mind.”

Her latest pieces feature plant-dyed silk, delicately embroidered and nearly transparent, with evocative titles such as Stroke the Empty Space, Merging Fissures of Time with Light, and Forgiveness.

“These works are a deliberate exploration of meditating and being with nature, a recapturing of that feeling from my dream,” Sheather said. “The tranquil nature of stitching lends itself well to those concepts.”

Committed to sustainability, all of her materials are upcycled and recycled. “I use scraps or bits of blanket or fabric. I haven’t really bought anything new; even the beads come from recycled outfits,” she adds. “It’s a bit like nature, really.”

A graduate of Whitecliffe College of Art, Sheather balances teaching with her creative pursuits. Her accolades include a Highly Commended Prize at the 2022 Parkin Drawing Award, a Highly Commended Award from the Molly Morpeth Canaday Award in 2019 and the Supreme Winner title at the 2014 Parkin Drawing Award.

Handle with Care has already toured several locations on the North Island, and Sheather is thrilled to present it to “my tribe” back home. The exhibition will be on display until November 2, and all works are available for purchase.