MEMBER ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
Donna Caffrey
MIXED MEDIA AND FIBRE ARTIST
I am a mixed media artist with a focus on textiles and collage.
The tactile experience of clay; the tearing, cutting and laying of papers, the feel of fabric in my hand and meditative stitching takes me to my happy place.
Through these mediums I capture a time, a moment, images and feelings of a place and of my place in the world.
Who or what are your main creative influences, and why?
I am continuing to explore abstract art and find Jasper Johns an interesting artist in terms of layering using collage and paint. Louise Bourgeois’s work inspires me. She traverses the domestic in so many different mediums.
However, the encouragement and discussion I have with fellow creatives is the thing that keeps me moving forward. Without this I wouldn’t have grown and continue to grow in terms of my art practice.
What has been your most rewarding/fulfilling experience so far as an artist?
There are a couple; being asked to participate in artists residencies in Tasmania in 2022 and at Hyphen in 2023 and having work selected for Wodonga Ephemeral Art in 2022. However, most of all, I get enormous pleasure facilitating workshops as I learn as much as I share.
What do you find most challenging about being an artist?
First being tidy, and secondly, not letting myself get diverted from my studio. My art studio is home based and it is so easy to let other things distract me.
What are you currently working on? Do you have an upcoming exhibition/s?
I have several projects on the go at the moment. I belong to RE-Create Collective a group of Albury Wodonga artists. We have exhibitions scheduled at Creators Artspace Gallery, Wodonga, in July and HR Gallop Gallery, CSU Wagga Wagga in August.
I am taking up a three month residency at Hyphen commencing July, 2023 and will be working on collage in its many forms, with a view of having a body of work for an exhibition in 2024.
