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Zoe Cutfield is widely recognised as a fine fabric artist.
But the 85-year-old Whitianga woman doesn’t believe in resting on her laurels. In the last couple of years she’s begun needle felting and taken a class in painting with oils and acrylics, as well as developing her computer skills.
Her interest in felting was sparked through her enthusiastic use of the internet. She came across an online class with Perth fabric artist Dale Rollerson and decided to buy a felting machine and join a class.
She found felting very different at first, with no thread involved, but she enjoyed the weekly class and produced a dazzling array of felt works in her distinctively vivid colours.
She has also incorporated felting with other fabric art. A piece featuring two stylized figures out walking includes upholstery fabric and other materials, felting, knitting, beads and buttons.
Other recent work includes a series of small abstract fabric pictures framed simply in black and some felted bracelets.
Then there’s the new painting. A life member of the Whitianga Art Group, Zoe has returned to painting, taking a class with Tairua artist Paula McNeill and trying her hand at acrylics and a mix of acrylics and oils.
Zoe has an astonishing output and says she loves to work. Her small, richly coloured house positively sings with creativity and her collection of fabrics often threatens to take over her living spaces.
It’s a far cry from her rather lonely childhood, growing up as an only child in the backblocks of Nelson. It was then she started making things to amuse herself. Marriage and four children kept her busy for many years but she says she’s always made things.
“I love my art and making things. All my life I’ve made things.”
She’s been in Whitianga for 37 years and began quilting about 22 years ago. Her last big quilt was finished in 2005 just before she went on a guided trip to India and visited fabric makers and sellers in small villages.
Nowadays she finds big quilts too much hard work and is doing smaller pieces.
She’s an intuitive designer and doesn’t sketch or plan pieces much. “I go with the flow and I get to a point where I think now I know how I’m going to finish it. It just happens. If It doesn’t work, I put it aside and either fix it later or cut it up.”
CONTACT
Ph. 07 8665287
Email zoelongtail@xtra.co.nz
DIRECTIONS
23 Catherine Cres Whitianga
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