About

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Ken Smith

    I was born and mostly raised in Far North Queensland. A foundation student of

Townsville University College (now James Cook University), I then trained in

Brisbane as a secondary-school teacher, and finished my B.A. degree while

teaching in Townsville.

      I lived and taught in England for twenty-two years from February, 1966, for

the first year as a supply teacher in London. A one-term temporary post took

me to Chesham High School in Buckinghamshire, west of London. I began in

January, 1967, and remained on the staff for twenty-one years.  From April,

1974, to my resignation in January, 1988, I was Head of the English Department.

I loved teaching (still do), but Mrs. Thatcher's depredations on the British teaching

profession made it impossible for me to do my job as I believed it should be done.

        I have drawn and painted since childhood. At high school, I became

interested in theatre - in acting, set and costume design, and stage makeup.

Before leaving for England, I was a member of two of Townsville's amateur

dramatic societies, and, during my University College year, started a university

dramatic society, for which I produced the first play, Tiger at the Gates,

Christopher Fry's English version of La Guerre de Troie n'aura pas Lieu. I

designed the sets and costumes, and, though not originally taking a part, ended

up playing the male lead, Hector. The original actor had pulled out five weeks

before the opening.

        At Chesham High, I began what became the school tradition of drama, and,

when Head of English, directed the annual major production. While in England, I

also pursued my interest in textile art, being fortunate, for fourteen years, to

attend inspirational workshops (Design for Embroidery) given by Constance

 Howard, M.B.E.

        Miss Howard suggested on my return to Australia (to my birthplace, Cairns)

in early 1988, that I should teach embroidery. In 1989, I discovered silk painting.

Then followed  two years' full-time research, in which I explored some of the

possibilities of silk painting and combined the painted silk with machine

embroidery. I began teaching both subjects, at first in North Queensland

and then throughout the state.

        I have lived in Brisbane, the state capital, since the end of 1994.

        In painted silk, I aim for rich colour and complex, richly patterned designs

inspired by those found in nature, rather than the formal, two-dimensional effects

of traditional serti. These days, I seldom do stretched work, unless I want its

characteristic salt effects. Otherwise, I use my own informal, shibori-related

methods.

        As I find shibori fascinating, I have also developed more informal adaptations

of and variations on the classic methods. These I call Aussie Shibori, since the

focus is on not only pattern but richness of colour. Though loving traditional

shibori, I do not wish to do it. To me, its one-colour austerity, while extremely

 beautiful, is out of key in our land of intense colour. Rather, it reflects the

harshness of the Japanese winter and Zen austerity. In Aussie Shibori,

colours/dyes are applied by hand, rather than by immersion.

        I also do my own version of Fortuny pleating, which I call waterfall pleating.

You can see it  in some of my outfits in Wearable Art (No's 4 and 5). Like Fortuny,

I'm keeping my method secret!

        My machine embroidery is almost exclusively freemotion. FME (the US term

FreeMotion Embroidery) allows for the development of an individual and personal

style. Programmed motifs/patterns are undeniably beautiful, but they are

machine-perfect, and infinitely repeatable. Anyone else with the same machine

can do the same. The only personal input is choice of colour and possibly the

adaptations some machines allow with balance alterations and combinations.

Still, being machine-perfect and infinitely repeatable, they seem to me to be

ultimately sterile.

        I know it's a personal limitation, but digitised embroidery does not interest

me. For me, the fun is in doing the stitching!

        With FME, there's no doubt that the human hand, brain and heart are at work.

The embroiderer develops a personal style - the sum of those techniques which

the artist likes the effect of and enjoys doing (and the machine being used will do

with ease). It also reflects the embroiderer's tastes - colour, texture, degree and

style of finish, for example. Even imperfections and inconsistencies become part

of a personal style. Nor is it possible to do exactly the same thing twice. To me,

that's a positive advantage!

     Texture and richness of effect are important to me.

                             

       Two examples of textural effects combining manipulated fabric and stitchery. The first is from

    Genesis (1998), the second from the vest for A Bloke in the Landscape (Art to Wear, 2004).

 

        I enjoy doing fine-detailed work and exploring the possibilities of layering and

three-dimensional effects, including those achieved by a variety of fabric

manipulation techniques. My preferred fabrics are hand-painted silks in

combination with sheers (silk or synthetic), lamés, wool and leather. Some works

feature hand embroidery and/or hand beading (punctuation!).

 

                            

  

                                      

     A number of teaching samples, mostly beginner and intermediate levels

 

        I experiment with a variety of styles. I feel a tutor is obliged to show that,

whatever the preferred style of the student, it can be achieved. But I don't belong

to the "This is how you do grass" school, preferring to teach students stitch

techniques and encourage them to make their own discoveries about the

interpretive applications.

         Above all, students should relax and enjoy exploring FME as much as I do. So

my workshops are technique-based rather than product-driven (though even

beginners can turn their class stitch samples into attractive works).

        Many people find the prospect of "driving the bus" themselves daunting. When

encouraged to try, they find that it isn't. It's fun! Without the pressure to finish a

"masterpiece" (product) by the end of the workshop, students have a chance to

play, to gain confidence in coordinating the speeds of the machine and the

movement of the work. In my experience, 99.9% of beginners (usually without

realising it) have made giant leaps before morning tea on the second day.

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