Avoca House at Castle Hill Village
Arthurs Pass Great Alpine Highway, SH73, Canterbury, New Zealand
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Amazing Location
Living in an alpine village in the heart of the Southern Alps of New Zealand, I am touched each day by the clarity of the light and by the stillness that is inherent in this place.
My inspiration comes from colours around me; the colours of the golden tussock grasses; from the blues of the sky; the purples of the mountains; from the limestone formations whose sculptured shapes remind me of my ancestors; and from the storms, nor'westers and southerlies, that sweep the landscape, shaking the tussock, dramatically changing my environment.
In this place
I breathe colour.
Kura Tawhiti Reserve - Castle Hill Rocks
Kura Tawhiti (Treasure from afar) is a place of high energy and
spiritual wisdom with significant cultural history.
The rocks are also rated a world class bouldering and rock climbing destination. The basin is surrounded by the Torlesse and Craigieburn ranges, a stunning alpine environment.
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Biography
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I am a textile artist, B&B host, labyrinth maker
and web designer with a passion for colour, a love of stone
and a fascination for the spaces between words.
I wonder about things like the importance of 'place' and 'land',
about our connection to the land we were born in and the land
where we live, about our place in the land.
There is a long history of the women in my family working
creatively with textiles, so it is not surprising that I have
become a textile artist. The only surprise is that it took me
so long to notice. I attended the Otago Polytechnic School of
Fashion & Design and the Otago School of Fine Arts, doing 3
years of a fine arts degree in textiles. In 1998 I had a
design accepted in the New Zealand Smoke Free Fashion Awards.
In May of this year (2006) 8 large works were part of an exhibition "Challenging the Margins of Time", Peninsula Arts, Plymouth University in the UK.
I have worked in the tourist industry, in catering, in a publishing
company, with a jade carver, in computing, as a
radiographer and as a mum.
I create silk wall hangings, design and produce hand-dyed and hand-printed fabric for quilting and patchwork and make portable labyrinths out of hand-painted silk.
I have my own studio at home at Castle Hill where I also
run Bed & Breakfast - Homestay style accommodation
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A passion for colour on silk
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I am passionate about the way silk picks
up the colour and carries it. It is as though I am the
instrument that brings brush to dye and dye to fabric,
the colours and the silk do the rest. There is something
magical about the way colour moves and incorporates itself
into the silk. It becomes an integral part of the fabric,
not sitting on top like a paint, not inhibiting the movement,
the softness or the sheen of the silk.
I choose silks
according to their use. I prefer silk crepe or georgette
for scarves and shawls because of their beautiful draping
qualities. Most of the scarves and shawls are hand-finished
with a rolled hem for the highest quality. Each piece is
individually handpainted; some themes may recur but are
dependent on the conditions of the day.
I describe myself
as a ‘primary splosher', using bright colours in an
unconstrained way, allowing the silk and dye to move and
play together. This is my way of exploring beauty.
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B&B Accommodation
Web Design
Labyrinths
Good Fortune Prayer Flags
Fabrics
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"In a world that is degrading in its moral standards, decency, and in the treatment of others, we seek to discover a new dignity, not a pomposity, or a grand, vain glorious stance, but a silent composure that speaks of one that is well-versed in his or her understanding of the eternal Tao and the way energy ebbs and flows; a person who's life is drawn in the parameters of an unspoken elegance of being."
Stuart Wilde
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Location Castle Hill Village |
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1 hour to Christchurch Airport
1.75 hours to Greymouth & Hokitika
Great stopover accommodation
Kaikoura to Franz Josef Glacier
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Contact Avoca House
Private Bag 55037, Castle Hill Village
Canterbury 7652, New Zealand
Phone : +64 (0)3 318 7620
Email : relax@avocahouse.com
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