A labour of love in her new homeland

Robe artist shares deeply personal exhibition of her latest textile work

Kristi Biezaite will be exhibiting her exquisite creations at Karatta Wine Room and Gallery in Robe, opening on August 6.

In the exhibition, K risti will be displaying blankets and shawls, pots, and embroidered cloths she has designed and made by hand. For Kristi, the process is deeply personal and offers a way to reorientate to her new homeland. Emigrating to Robe from Latvia 12 years ago, Kristi always sensed danger in the native Australian bush, which stemmed from a lack of familiarity regarding what was safe to eat and the names of the trees and flowers.

In contrast, during her Latvian childhood, she had the good fortune to be taught about plants and edible nuts and berries by her grandparents, spending many holidays in the woodlands. It’s not easy to obtain this level of knowledge of the Australian bushland, but in her inimitable style, Kristi has tackled the problem with energy and fortitude.

She has found that the leaves, bark, and blossoms of Eucalypts are ideal to dye wool, and that this offers her an intimate knowledge of at least those trees and flowers she uses in her creations.

Kristi showcases the early stages of her creative process, including displaying skeins of wool dyed using a range of natural objects. Eucalyptus bark, leaves and blossoms are boiled up with a fixing agent (mordant) to create deep tones of apricot and moss green.

Copper pipes from the Robe Town Brewery, which Kristi founded with her husband Maris, were used to complete the range of colours, creating a muted rainbow.

The wool she has dyed comes from their own sheep, and the entire process is hands-on for Kristi, who prepares the wool for spinning prior to weaving or knitting.

Beautiful blankets, large enough to shield against the cold winter nights, are each composed of a single fleece: a traceability almost unique in our fast-paced commercial world.

Stripes and subtle variegations in the weave showcase Kristi’s artisanship with every stitch.

This artisanship was recognised by a grant from Arts SA, which has given Kristi the freedom to create these works. So far, the work has taken a full year.

In addition to the woollen blankets, Kristi has embroidered a range of tablecloths, runners, and shawls with her inimitable style. Tiny blackwork stitches highlight the path of screen-printed beetles across the centre of the work.

Leaves and blossoms are screen-printed together with nuts and bolts to form a delicate tracery in the surface of the fabric. Small pots are made from felted wool remnants, ensuring that nothing goes to waste and is instead transformed into items both beautiful and useful.

Come and enjoy the exhibition with a glass of wine at the Karatta Wine Room and Gallery from August 6. For enquiries, please contact Susan McLachlan at Karatta Wine Room and Gallery on (08)8768 2608.