Taupo Times Article Friday 23rd January 2015
It’s always nice to come away with something to remind you of your travels and the works of Kinloch wool artist Leanne Clarry have been impressing visitors from around the world for years. Luke Kirkeby caught up with her at 3Art Gallery where she is exhibt's a little ironic that when it comes to art Kinloch’s Leanne Clarry is no follower.
Clarry
is currently exhibiting the latest collection of her works at 3Art
Gallery in Whangamata Road and said people are amazed that her
compositions are completely made of wool, something she said came
about unexpectedly.
‘‘I
have been making them since 1985, which came about by accident really
because I was a spinner when my husband managed a big sheep station
in Hawkes Bay,’’ she said.
‘‘I
had three fleeces which I found were useless for spinning and I
travelled to England at the time.
‘‘I
was buying pictures and it made me think what would a tourist buy
when they came to New Zealand.’’
‘‘[When
I returned to New Zealand] I started looking at this wool I couldn’t
spin and I did the face of a sheep and people started to want to buy
them and consequently my pictures have travelled all around the
world.’’
Clarry
said she still travels to Napier to handpick wool.
‘‘[When
I lived on the station] there was always a sprinkling of coloured
wool but now if I want new wool and ideas I go to the wool stores in
Napier with a plastic bag and they let me lose in all the bins of
coloured fleeces and I look out for different tones.’’
It
takes her around five hours to put together a composition.
‘‘ They
are just on a board covered in a bit of paper which I rub with soap
to keep the moths away.
‘‘I
then play with the sky and layer the bits on before framing it with
glass to hold everything in place,’’ she said.
‘‘It
is very frustrating to work with because wool is a living fibre and
it very much has a mind of its own.
‘‘It
often amazes me that something actually appears.’’
Clarry
said she sometimes also uses possum fur and silk to give the
impression of movement in her works.
‘‘You
don’t know how each one is going to start and where it is going to
end, they just evolve,’’ she said.
3
Art Gallery is open from 10am till 4pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday
and Clarry will be there from 10am till 3pm during the weekends until
February 8.
