Update September 2025
Solo Exhibition – Perfectly Imperfect. 11th September – 20th October 2025.
Artist Talk Sunday 28th September 2pm
From a cushion to an Exhibition – how did that happen?
Come and hear the personal story behind arriving at the point of having your first Solo Exhibition – as per Pravina Phillips.
Pravina has a very accessible, conversational way of talking about her adventures in the textile world and the works in her current exhibition. This will be a very interesting talk delivered with humour and many examples that can be handled and explored as part of the discussion. Free entry to all .
Pravina has risen to the scarey challenge of doing her first ever Solo Show and it is a tribute to her skill, her love of creating with fibre and textile and to her endless creativity. Colours, textures, thoughtful design with a little bit of social commentary and humour on the side – a wonderful body of works.
Pravina has included some of her earlier pieces in this exhibition and it is really fascinating to see how adventurous and resourceful her practice has become over the years.
While installing the exhibition Pravina commented how she makes because she ‘just HAS to make’ – what a wonderful problem for an artist to have!!!. This passion shows in the art she is sharing with us in this exhibition . Well done Pravina.
Pravina Phillips is a first time exhibiting artist at from out of the blue studio gallery and we are enjoying a very sharp sense of humour in her portfolio of works. Many of Pravina’s works combine upcycling with social messages. Pravina started her creative journey as a child with cross stitching over hessian and English Paper Piecing. She then progressed to traditional patchwork, the old fashioned way using sandpaper as templates and trying to master the intricacies of matching points and hand quilting using a hoop. Some years later a whole new world opened up with the discovery of art quilts and contemporary methods of construction. These days Pravina enjoys creating mixed media pieces and experimenting combining fabric, paper and stitch and dabbling with altered books and book making. A highlight of this ongoing journey for Pravina has been having works accepted for exhibition at the ANZEG Conferences and NZ Quilt Symposiums.
Pravina has answered some questions about her artistic journey which are included below:
What initially attracted you to quilting and stitching in general as your artistic expressions, how was your imagination captured
I think I was initially attracted to quilting by the fact that I could create something functional e.g. cushions, bed quilts, bags, and home décor. By reading quilt magazines and books, going to quilt shows , quilting symposiums and seeing what other people created, I realized that I wanted to delve more into the world of art quilting
What or who were your early influences and how has your life/upbringing influenced your work?
You could say needlecraft runs in the family. My late mother was an excellent knitter, crocheted, sewed, embroidered and dabbled in tatting. Her mother knitted and crocheted beautiful doilies, making up her own patterns and didn’t necessarily have to read the instructions on patterns but just looked at the picture. My aunt sews beautiful professionally finished garments and is a very accomplished knitter. Mum taught me to knit and crochet and my grandmother would sit with me in my early teens and we would do some patchwork together. Mum and I crocheted a Granny Squares Blanket out of scraps of wool. (it was very heavy!) Being more of an “indoors child” I loved making “stuff” and loved sewing soft toys.
What was your route to becoming an artist?
I have to try and get used to that word “artist”. I just love making “stuff”! Patchwork and quilting was definitely the springboard. Wherever possible I also took advantage of any creative classes on offer. It was really a lot of experimentation and reading, trying new techniques and crossing paths with likeminded people who offer support, encouragement and ideas. In 2018 I discovered some great tutorials and artists on You Tube which got me into the bookmaking and art journaling space.
Tell us a bit about your process from conception to creation please.
I might be triggered by a technique I have learnt and then I start thinking how I could use that technique and then things snowball from there. For example, I did a class on using soluble plastic to create your own fabric. The end result was supposed to be a bowl. However, mine did not even come close to looking like a bowl, but it got me thinking into other ways I could use that technique – which you can see in some of my pieces in the exhibition.
Otherwise, I might just be doodling with a piece of paper and pencil, and something captures my imagination. I then enlarge the pattern and think about the technique I would need to use to execute it and go from there. Sometimes things work out and sometimes they don’t. I either adapt the technique or abandon the idea and maybe revisit it later. Sometimes it’s those pieces that I don’t pay too much attention to, that work out the best. Imitation Four Patch is a good example.
You have a wide range of patterns and arrangements and objects in your portfolio of works can you describe some of your chosen techniques and how you choose to use them?
I wanted to try and get away from buying fabric and instead use what I had. I discovered tea bags could be stitched into after some preparation and you will see tea bags in some of my work instead of using fabric. I returned to the time old English paper piecing method but gave it a new twist and framed each hexagon after reading about this particular technique in a book. I also went one step further and then created journals from the hexagons I created.
I try to create texture in my work rather than flat surfaces as this hold my attention when I am creating and hopefully offers a point of difference. For example in my map of India, I could have made life easier for myself by using commercial fabric, but I preferred giving it texture and creating interest for the viewer that way.
What currently inspires you?
I have a large collection of vintage saris and I am still interested in creating something with those. I also am fascinated by faces and am currently playing around with sketching more of the Picasso like faces. I am also trying to incorporate text into my work. In order to keep things interesting, I am playing around with collage using serviettes, pictures which inspire me and text.
Is there a piece of your work that holds particularly fond memories for you and why?
Several pieces come to mind. One of them however is Diwali – Festival of Lights. This is an old work of mine which was exhibited at one of the Quilting Symposiums in the late ‘90’s. I think I can remember every step of creating this. I had everything graphed out for this as it was a fairly structured piece. An intense piece of work for about 6 months and I was very proud as was my family when it was accepted. A picture of it even made it into the Symposium book. I felt I had “arrived”.
How has your work developed since you began and how do you see it evolving in the future?
I have become much more adventurous and broader in my creative endeavours. I enjoy working with fabric, paper, paint, pencil. As for the future, I want to continue to create my own path and make my work very distinctive and keep developing the quirkiness of it. Having said that, I still enjoy going back to my roots and creating a cool lap quilt or throw simply because I love the fabric!
What advice would you give an aspiring artist?
Keep exploring and playing and finding your groove. Join a group or find likeminded friends for encouragement and inspiration, go to shows, classes, read lots and if you can utilise the internet as well. Also throw out the rule book, you will instinctively know if you are on the right track.
What is something you cannot take your eyes off when you see it – that fascinates and mesmerises you?
When I look at a piece of work in a quilt show that I know someone has poured their heart and soul into because it tells a story or evokes some emotion in me. Anything with rich textures and colours.
What is your favourite way to unwind or de-stress
Slow stitching – I don’t have to think too much and I am creating at the same time. Cutting out pictures for my art or junk journals and thinking of ways to incorporate them in novel ways.
Created for ANZEG Conference 2022
Playing with a collection of bottle tops and old envelopes lead me to this piece. How could I transform rubbish into an art piece? I found that by consistently thinking outside the square, creativity can be found in abundance.
Materials: Bottle tops, used window envelopes, thread.
“Background 1” 2021 Artist: Pravina Phillips. NFS
Painting with fabric. This piece originated from playing with paint in an altered book I was working on. I loved the slashes of colour to create a dramatic effect
Materials: Fabric, thread
“Background 2” 2022 Artist: Pravina Phillips. NFS
Painting with wool. I wanted to see if I could use a different method to create the same effect as “ Background 1”. I decided to turn the piece into something decorative yet functional .
Materials: Wool and felt
Essential Item – An Abundance of Tea 2022 – Pravina Phillips. $200.00 
Essential Item – An Abundance of Tea 2022 – Pravina Phillips. NFS 
Essential Item – An Abundance of Tea 2022 – Pravina Phillips. NFS 
Essential Item – An Abundance of Tea 2022 – Pravina Phillips. NFS 
Essential Item – An Abundance of Tea 2022 – Pravina Phillips. NFS 
Essential Item – An Abundance of Tea 2022 – Pravina Phillips. NFS
“Essential item – An Abundance of Tea” 2022. Artist Pravina Phillips. NFS
Created for ANZEG Conference 2022
The pandemic called for more cups of tea than ever before. What to do with all the used tea bags? Inspired by the abundantly satisfying effects a good cup of tea can bring – warmth, good conversation, friendship, calmness and a sympathetic ear. Carrying on with my interest in recycling.
Materials: Tea bags, fabric, thread.