Celebrating the gift of sight!
Wonder of Eyes online exhibition & art exchange
To celebrate the gift of sight, sixty artists from Australia, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom have created 73, 20x20cm (8x8in) textile artworks that are showcased in this online exhibition. All participating artists made a donation to The Fred Hollows Foundation. Together we have raised more than A$2800. Further donations are welcome on the Wonder of Eyes fundraising page.
Powerful Owl In The Garden is my interpretation of this owl with his wonderful vision. He has become part of the garden and what would we be without vision to enjoy the garden's beauty. I have used fabric collage, thread painting and quilting.
POWERFUL OWL IN THE GARDEN
©2019 Liz Aitken
Bonnet Bay, NSW
This little quilt was inspired by my photographs of fluoride crystals. Things went wrong along the way. The range of colours of my hand dyed fabric was not satisfactory, time was running out so I decided to paint the fabric. The result does not match what I had in mind but it still celebrate the gift of sight.
SEEING WITHIN
©2020 Suzanne Aubrun
Sydney, NSW
Technically foxes have dichromatic vision which means they don't see colour, however, my Mr Fox has decided he will be passing both the eye and the colour tests on his next visit. Machine embroidery, printed organza and hand stitching.
EYED OUTFOX YOU
©2020 Susan Auden Wood
Melbourne, Victoria
The artist sees colour, shape and line where others may not. Sight is to be treasured and respected.
THE ARTIST'S EYE
©2020 Christine Beardsley
Normanville, South Australia, Australia
I love to work with thread and for this project I chose a minimal palate of shades of brown on a plain background and stitched tiny straight and seed stitches to catch the depth in the child's eyes. Is it a game of hide and seek or something darker?
CAN YOU SEE ME?
©2020 Irene Berry
Narooma, NSW
Guess who? ….Who's there?
Maybe "Foo was here" from a long time ago.
GUESS WHO
©2020 Sue Broadway
Ballarat, Victoria
Sometimes all you see of someone is their eyes. They can be any size, shape or colour and twinkle when they are happy and cry when they are sad. Such an expressive part of being human.
ONLY THE EYES
©2019 Megan Byrne
Wembley, Western Australia
A "Watchman" of his world as he sees and experiences the devastation caused by human encroachment to his natural environment.
WATCHMAN
©2019 Marilyn Clark
Matamata, New Zealand
When we look with the eye of the heart, we look with compassion. This piece, worked slowly with layered fabrics, beading and hand stitching reminds us we can take the time to look with both our eyes and heart and we will all be better for it.
EYE OF THE HEART
©2020 Derrin Cramer
Como, Western Australia
Embellishing the eyes on an image printed on cloth highlights the surprise of the child's face and focuses attention on how much our eyes communicate. The image was printed on fabric, hand and machine stitching and beads were added.
SURPRISED
©2020 Derrin Cramer
Como, Western Australia
Noticing while taking photos of young teen male lions in Botswana they already having healed scars on their faces and my thoughts were they have 'Not so Innocent' eyes. Mother nature's survival of the fittest.
NOT SO INNOCENT
©2019 Sue de Vanny
Greenvale, Victoria
This is a gorgeous baby Mountain Gorilla from Rwanda, only a couple of months old his eyes were full of curiosity.
EYES OF INNOCENCE
©2019 Sue de Vanny
Greenvale, Victoria
The Ancient Greek Talisman of Protection
MATI
©2020 Michelle Demetrious
Seaford, Victoria, Australia
As a child I can remember being told....if you watch too much TV you will end up with square eyes. Who could have predicted the amount of time we now spend staring at our screens.
SQUARE EYES
©2020 Rachelle Denneny
Adelaide, South Australia
Rainbows are one of my most favourite things, the appearance of one always brightens my day and makes me smile. Being able to see the amazing colours around us should never be taken for granted.
WONDER OF COLOUE
©2020 Rachelle Denneny
Adelaide, South Australia
INSIGHT
©2019 Sue Dennis
Sunnybank, Queensland
While travelling in Mongolia I gained further insight into their Buddhist religion when we visited the energy centre at Sainshand.
Shirley paints with stitches using free motion machine embroidery She uses the machine as a drawing tool, combining stitch with paint in mixed media
FRACTURED VISIONS
©2020 Shirley Drayton
Connewarre, Victoria, Australia
The underwater world looks different to us! The perception of colours & distances change... But how does it look to a fish. Fish have clear "domes" of eyes giving them huge range of vision. But I've always wondered. Does this change his view?
ALBINISM & LOW VISION
©2019 Mel Dugosh
Texas, USA
Following cataract surgery whenever I come inside after being in the sun it takes several minutes for my eyes to adjust. I see a white circle surrounded by vivid yellow which gradually fragments and fades through a series of purples and greys.
SUN FLARE
©2020 Dianne Firth
Canberra, ACT, AUSTRALIA
My 90 y.o. Mum's macular degenration was diagnosed early, but the second eye deteriorated fast. Wonderful medical support helped her to retain and continue with some sight. Amsler grid when distorted gives an early indicator of disease.
MUM's MACULAR GRID
©2020 Julie Haddrick
Adelaide, South Australia
My husband just had Cataract Surgery, and his immediate reaction was "it's just like lifting a veil ...........just amazing"
LIFTING THE VEIL
©2019 Kay Haerland
Erina, New South Wales
Butterfly wing detail - hand stitched cotton, silk dyed in onion skin, silk embroidery floss, hemp twine feature.
ALL IN THE DETAIL
©2019 Philomena Hali
Wellard, Western Australia
I always think of having to open my eyes wide when getting my eyes checked. I thought this would be an appropriate subject for this fundraiser.
WIDE OPEN
©2020 Julie Harding
Taormina, NSW, Australia
This hand died indigo shibori work represents the faded blue eyes of my Grandma, my mother and now my own as I myself am now the middle aged. Those kind, wise faded blue eyes of the generations of women before me who loved and cared so much for all.
INDIGO BLUE EYES
©2020 Ronda Hazell
Creswick, Victoria, Australia
Sacptia auriflua (Australian necter feeding March Fly) has given me the opportunity to experiment with a number of different techniques and fabrics.
SCAPTIA AURIFLUA
©2020 Neil Jackman
Ballan, Victoria, Australia
It's always a delight to see the wonder in my four year old granddaughter's eyes as she discovers something new about our amazing world.
WHEN IVY'S EYES ARE SMILING
©2020 Darling Di
Zetland, NSW, Australia
Two iconic Australian forms regard each other in this abstracted work.
NED & THE COCKATOO
©2019 Monica Johnstone
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Photometeors are luminous optical phenomena caused by the refraction of light. The weather symbol for mirage suggests its classic position on the horizon as well as its mysterious presence in the eye of the beholder.
MIRAGE
©2019 Monica Johnstone
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Very happy to participate in a good cause and thank you for the oportunity.
CHEEKY EYES
©2020 Anna Julia
Winthrop, WA, Australia
These old eyes have seen so much, they speak of wisdom, of love, loss, joy and sadness, abundance and shortage, riches and poverty, beauty and horror. They hold so much knowledge, wisdom and vision. Hand drawn, machine quilted.
WISE OLD EYES
©2019 Jocelyne Leath
Aveley, Western Australia
The wonder of sight is not only in the ability to see, but in the ability to absorb and appreciation what is in sight. Hand drawn & free machine quilted.
EYE SEE
©2019 Jocelyne Leath
Aveley, Western Australia
This quilt is loosely based on a sketch of a girl looking sideways, similar to "A Girl With A Pearl Earring". It represents a stylized version of the girl, perhaps a modern girl.
I SEE YOU
©2020 Cindy Loos
Columbia, South Carolina USA
Our eyes don't deceive, we can't stop them reflecting how we feel!
I have admired Fred Hollows and his work for many years after visiting his clinic in Nepal in the 1990's. Thank you Brenda for the opportunity not only to raise money for the Foundation but to also create awareness to the community through the showcasing of our art!
EYES: WINDOWS TO THE SOUL
©2020 Denise Mallon
Perth, WA, Australia
This piece was the second experimental piece I made, prior to starting on the final piece titled "The Floater", which is part of the Vision 2020 exhibition. This is a thread painting of my retina and the large floater that I have in my left eye.
THE FLOATER (TEST 2)
©2019 Victoria Mansfield
Alexandra Hills, Queensland, Australia
A macro photograph of the sensory neurons in the eye was the source for this design. The hand dyed piece was overlaid with silk organza and stitched with holographic thread to represent the passage of impulses that create sight.
OPTIC MESSAGE
©2020 Jean Marshall
Lincolnshire, UK
Sometimes reflecting back on events your memory is a bit blurred regarding all the details. I have tried to show the reflection in the eyes being a little bit blurred rather than crisp.
REFLECTION
©2020 Catherine McDonald
Christchurch, New Zealand
Octopuses have excellent vision. However they have no colour vision, but are able to change their own colour to camouflage themselves - fascinating! I enjoyed creating this Giant Pacific Octopus’ eye with all the details, textures and colours.
EYE OF THE OCTOPUS
©2020 Karen McGregor
Brunswick, Victoria
This is a textile interpretation of the printout of my recent eye scan. I was amazed at the colours and varying shapes that were revealed indicating the health of your eye. Method was machine piecing and quilted with hand stitched beading.
EYES CAN...EYE SCAN
©2020 Glenda McKie
Wattle Glen, VIC, Australia
When a child looks up and sizes you up as a 'grown up' the thoughts of what possibilities that lay ahead of them arise and start with "When I get bigger..."
WHEN I GET BIGGER
©2019 Ginny McVickar
Pleasant Hill, Oregon USA
The innocence of a child's eyes reflect not only a brilliant sparkle but of innocence, pure joy and freedom from tragedy and loss.
EYES OF SAPPHIRE
©2019 Ginny McVickar
Pleasant Hill, Oregon USA
Australia, in 2019 is experiencing the worst drought since records began and a whole generation have never seen rain.
Image is rain on my car windscreen.
Printed silk, hand stitched.
RAIN
©2019 Alison Muir
Cremorne, NSW
If you asked a person what they would miss seeing they would answer family. The wonder of eyes allows us to see a baby’s smile or nanna’s hands, the joy of first love or a radiant bride. In our family blue eyes dominate and they are my world.
BLUE IRIS
©2020 Kay Murray
Sydney, NSW
Eyes are truly beautiful and amazing. I couldn’t do what I love without them. I have several vision challenges, so I do not take this gift for granted. I created a more artistic interpretation for this original art quilt piece.
EYE-MAZING
©2019 Diane L. Murtha
Bettendorft, Iowa, USA
This sybolises the joy of vision that I am so grateful to have. Seeing family and friends, enjoying visual stimulation of the environment in which I live, and being able to work artistically with colour and design in the quilts I make, is a gift.
LUCKY ME
©2019 Wendy Nutt
Lemon Tree Passage, NSW
I wonder why we look at the same thing & see or visualise it differently – mood, thoughts, colour? When I looked at this African Serengeti fabric I saw eyes! If I had not been thinking of this exhibition, would I have only seen tribal patterns?
DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?
©2020 Joanne Quelch
Loganholme, Queensland
Trevor had two cataract operations in 2019. When the bandages came off he realised he had been looking through a filter, there was a major difference in clarity and depth of colour that he did not realise he had been missing.
IRIS
©2019 Beth & Trevor Reid
Gowrie, ACT
The eye of the lizard is surrounded by so much colour and texture. How could I resist.
EYE OF THE LIZARD #1
©2020 Sue Reid
Kyabram, Victoria, Australia
There is so much colour and texture surrounding the eye of the lizard, perfect for a textile piece.
EYE OF THE LIZARD #1
©2020 Sue Reid
Kyabram, Victoria, Australia
Our eyes are the windows to the sole. They are a complex and precious organ that constantly reflect ones feelings. My research inspired me to show their diversity through Mutant Eyes
MUTANT EYES
©2020 Lorraine Parker
Buttaba, NSW, Austtralia
My childhood cat had stunning green eyes, which changed, and he went blind. How precious sight is and losing it can be so tragic. Portraying beautiful cats eyes for this wonderful fundraiser was a pleasure.
WATCHING
©2020 Sonya Prchal
Whangarei, New Zealand
To me, the eyes of the owl are beautiful and impressive giving the owl a wise appearance. They have exceptional night vision.
Technique used: hand dyed and commercial fabric, fabric collage and thread painting.
NIGHT OWL
©2019 Yvonne Pywell
Newborough, Victoria
Eyes are integral to body language and non-verbal communication. Visual information is the information our eyes give our brains, but also the information our eyes give away: emotions, attraction, fear or ease, lies or truth, submission or dominance.
VISUAL INFORMATION
©2019 Charlotte Scott
Paihia, New Zealand
A city scape being watched by Eyes.... Eyes On You with Eyes Of Wonder!
EYES ON YOU
©2019 Caroline Sharkey
Urunga, New South Wales
Designed in computer software, machine and hand applique. Hand embroidery, and free motion machine quilting.
APPLE OF MY EYE
©2019 Meena Schaldenbrand
Plymouth, Michigan USA
The handsome peacock has a knowing stare. Machine thread painted and quilted.
THE PEACOCK
©2019 Linda Steele
Melbourne, Vic, Australia
Jane uses simple hand sewing techniques in a contemporary way. Her textiles pay homage to women and the traditions of textiles. Some women sewed for pleasure, others to survive and live. Eyes are important aspect in making textiles.
DOUBLE VISION
©2019 Jane Stone
Como, Western Australia
Jane has been wearing glasses since she was 15. Whilst making these pieces it reminded her memories of many visits to the eye doctor and the optometrist. Jane realises how lucky she is, to continue to see clearly as her eyes have unfortunately not.
LONG, NEAR, SHORT, VISION
©2019 Jane Stone
Como, Western Australia
Spiders have many eyes to contribute to multi directional viewing.
SPIDER EYES
©2020 Brenda Wood
Wangaratta, Vic, Australia
The Fred Hollows Foundation does a lot of work In Kathmandu where the Boudhanath Stupa is a very important Buddhist monument. I took this photo in 2014 prior to its rebuild after the devastating earthquake. The eyes on this Stupa are mesmerizing.
BOUDHANATH STUPA
©2019 Michele Truscott
Axedale, Victoria
When my daughter sent me the photo of my granddaughter that this piece is based on, I was riveted by the expression in her eyes. Not completely sure of what she is seeing nevertheless she takes it all in. How big the world must seem!
SEEING GIANTS
©2019 Di Tramontana
Picton, NSW
This is an image of my son who sees the world through the filter of cerebral palsy. His interpretation of image is frequently so different to ours but no less valid.
SEEING DIFFERENTLY
©2019 Di Tramontana
Picton, NSW
My love of portraiture in fabric led me to create this simplistic artistic image by creating a sense of intrigue with the eyes behind a mask.
BEHIND THE MASK
©2019 Lee Vause
Langwarrin, Victoria
Vision Science: Researchers have begun using mice to understand the mechanisms of visual processing.
PERSPECTIVE
©2020 Candice Walker
Adelaide, South Australia
I have used the cubist art style to demonstrate the wide reaching power of the eye and that the gift of sight adds colour and excitement to your world .
THE EYES HAVE IT
©2019 Annie White
Auckland, New Zealand
While chaos circles around you be the eye of the storm - calm and in control.
EYE OF THE STORM
©2019 Alison Withers
Warrnambool, Victoria
Strike an eye popping pose for Insta.
OOH!
©2019 Alison Withers
Warrnambool, Victoria
I have worn Glasses all my life and tried to read Eye charts that were impossible to read the bottom lines!
EYE SEE YOU
©2020Rebecca Wolske
Boronia, Victoria, Australia
The underwater world looks different to us! The perception of colours & distances change... But how does it look to a fish. Fish have clear "domes" of eyes giving them huge range of vision. But I've always wondered. Does this change his view?
FISH EYE LENS
©2019 Brenda Wood
Ascot, Queensland
Some eyes are for looking, some are for not looking. Some are for camoflauge, some are for distraction and some are for attraction. We see the Peacock's eyes, but they are for viewing to looking!
FOR VIEWING NOT LOOKING
©2020 Brenda Wood
Ascot, Queensland
I did in memory of my late father “Eyes speaks”. He spokes through his eyes with me. I look in his eyes and I know exactly what to do. This piece is my first artwork in textile and it was a challenge.
