Woolloomooloo Basket

Woolloomooloo Basket 

Its been five years since I made a coiled basket. It's a nice feeling to make a vessel out of plant fibre, especially when it came from grass growing in my backyard. I created the vessel using the figure of eight stitch "five wraps two stitches". The figure of eight construction method can make a very strong basket/vessel when done correctly. I used a very strong wax coated linen thread to make the basket. 

Fingers and Petals Exhibition WA

Fingers and Petals, The handmade flower show.

My flower has been Finished and sent to Perth, Western Australia where over 100 other artists have been creating handmade flowers from gathered materials of their choice for the past year. My flower is made from flax, reclaimed copper wirer from electrical cable, horse hair and synthetic coloured buttons. I have use a netting technique, similar to netted objects made by aboriginal people from Northern Australia. The flower object is 20cmx8cmx8cm.

New Fibre Sculptures

It has been five months since my exhibition "New Fibre Sculpture". It was a fantastic experience to produce a body of work that is very personal to me and exhibit it for the public to view and ponder. Combining two of my passion art and sport may seem an unusual combination, but in fact it was a very logical and natural decision for me. I started working with plant fibre at the age of five with the nurturing and mentoring of Nalda Searles my aunt. Sport has been a lifelong pursuit, joining Little Athletic at the age of six and progressing to Ironman racing today. Both of passions have required the same dedication and reflection of myself. I see each piece of my fibre work as a marathon and the process of training my body to its limits an artwork.

Fodder Basket

Coiled fodder basket stitched with linen string. Carved, sanded and polished with candle wax gum stick handles.(29cm x 12.5cm x 10.5cm)

New Fibre Sculpture

Goggles. Plant fibre, linen thread, plant dyed silk, plastic. 13x20x4.5cm.



With-in (full figure). Plant fibre, linen thread, plant dyed silk. 200x100x1cm



My Tools. Hand twined flax cord, plant fibre and linen thread.
32x10x11cm.


Swollen Form. Plant fibre, cotton thread.
30x28x39cm.


Reaching (two arms). Plant fibre, linen thread.
Left arm 51x32x11cm, Right arm 57x37x14cm.


Spiked (two running shoes). Plant fibre, linen thread.
Left shoe 32x12x12cm, Right shoe 32x12x11cm.



View (head). Plant fibre, linen thread. 17x33x25cm.



Plant Your Future (landscape). Plant fibre, linen thread, plant dyed silk. 34x31x8cm



Grounded (two legs). Plant fibre, linen thread. 30x54x34cm (together).

Todd Israel New Fibre Sculpture

Todd Israel

New Fibre Sculpture

Tap Gallery 2010

The making of a sculptural form where plant fibre is the medium is an ancient practice dating back well beyond the Egyptians, the Sumerians even and probably to the earliest efforts at connecting to a source with a hope for a season of plenty.

Todd Israel has used plant fibre to shape forms related to the human body.

An athlete himself he has taken portions of the classical Olympian and attempted to explain the tension involved with physical effort.

His exhibition is a juxtaposition of self-portraiture; right down to the tiny goggles he needs to wear as a swimmer.

Todd developed simultaneously as an athlete and an artist right from childhood.

Skilful in the art of making by his early teenage years, he had also set his sights on track and field events as a sports career.

Earning a Visual Arts degree at Edith Cowan University (WA) he, at the same time was running triathlons at a national level.

The large fibre figure ‘With-in’ belies this energetic competitive combination. With-in is delicate, reflects a love of plants, a refined hand, a call to nature and presents the viewer with something, which could have been inscribed in ancient Egyptian architecture.

In a classical stance the figure is proportionately the artists, whilst within it he has stitched leaves of both the northern and southern hemispheres. The indigenous plant forms of Australia, the artist’s country of birth, surround the heart whilst leaves from colder climes, the lands of his father’s birth, are fitted into the limbs.

With-in is a compelling work, the physicality of the stitching it required, in fact all the stitching across the exhibition is a marathon of sorts and shows a phenomenal dedication to achieving the minds eye dreams.

The use of plant fibre as a sculptural medium has developed as a contemporary practice in this country in recent times. Todd Israel is part of that movement. He has a considerable following in WA, his home state, A full scale grass unicycle he made in 1995, already showing his ability to mix the pursuits of his passions, attracted serious attention.

Now, this exhibition Todd Israel New Fibre Sculpture, his first solo, coming after ten years of dedicated teaching of indigenous children, is an exciting collection. It deserves close viewing and one can be amazed at what the artist has done with the humble blade of grass.

Nalda Searles

Sydney 2010-05-25