Te Puke, New Zealand. Member of the SDA NZ regional Group.
Heather has a deep love of wool and of gardens. Her works reflect these influences. Here she describes her own creative life:
I have knitted and crocheted making garments for my family, most of my adult life. I love working with natural fibres, using mostly wool and cotton.
As the need for garments lessened I began to experiment with felting crocheted woollen items, embellishing the items with wet felted processed and unprocessed wool. I became more and more amazed and intrigued with the wonderful properties of wool and wanted a medium with more freedom than the structure crocheting imposed.
It seemed a natural progression to learn how to make felt.
This is still very much a work in progress. I love to create with my hands. It causes me to be filled with wonder as wool forms into a fabric as I work it with my hands.
Soon after our marriage, Keith and I started farming. With my move into the country I discovered a love for gardening. Many of the plants and trees that I have enjoyed as part of our garden are now being looked at with a different eye.
Discovering amazing colours extracted from plant material as it passes through the dye pot still delights and surprises me.
More recently I have discovered eco printing – the process of printing plant material directly onto fibres.
Felting, dyeing and eco printing bring together things that I love – working with my hands and using natural materials to create. I am enjoying working with the unpredictable aspect of natural dyeing.
My happy place is to be out in my garden, stoking my fire under the dye pot or steamer, t waiting with excited anticipation to discover what beauty nature is going to reveal.
Heather has submitted two works answering the exhibition call for ‘Aotearoa – Land of the Long White Cloud’ on from January 20th 2022 – February 28th 2022, the annual regional exhibition for members of the NZ regional group of the SDA.
The first of these works is called Discovery ( 38cm x 38 cm). Heather writes about the work
This piece explores my journey of discovering what it is to be a “New Zealander”. The combination of eco print and flax weaving, are a reflection that I stand in a place of heritage that grounds and nourishes me. The felted and flax flowers represent my pondering on what it means for me to live in Aotearoa where two heritages must meld into a cohesive unique new culture.
The second piece by Heather is called My Place (38cm tall x 89 cm circumference).
Rural New Zealand near the ocean is my home. This work is a reflection on that physical and emotional space. The natural environment grounds me and gives identity .This is where I belong . This place is my place, from the mountains to the sea. I feel most at home when I am using materials from the land and colours that reflect my landscape. The ocean that surrounds me isn’t a confining barrier but an invitation and inspiration to wonder and explore beyond my immediate.
For more details on these two works, please look at the shop listing pages.
As part of the “For The Home Collection” 2021-2022 (23rd Dec 2021 – Jan 17th 2022) the gallery displayed three felted works by Heather.
A Large felted vessel called Hope (40cm x 87cm) graces one of the wall displays.
“Our solid foundations have become fractured and cracked but we look to the future with hope and new life”.
Heather Wratt
“The body of the vessel is felted using NZ produced Polworth Wool. The ‘rocks’ are merino dyed with barberry branches, the silk ‘cracks’ dyed with flax seeds and the black and red are commercially dyed merino.”
The other two pieces in the “For The Home Collection” 2021-2022 are “Living Water” and “Basket”.
From the ‘River of Life’ flow new beginnings.
heather Wratt.
Here is Heather’s statement about her work in the ‘Made Over- Preserving & Reinterpreting Exhibition’ on at ‘from out of the blue studio gallery’ until May 10th 2021.
Beauty May Fade But Never Dies
The cotton doily created a strong connection to my mother and grandmother .They left a legacy of using available textiles to create beautiful articles to enhance their homes. I have used wool and harakeke to honour the women who have gone before us who used the resources available to them to care for their families. I have made flowers to celebrate the creative use of these resources beyond the meeting of basic needs.
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