2025 Artist in Residence

 "Lighthouse Arts residencies provide writers, artists and musicians the opportunity to create in an inspiring and elemental environment: the historic lighthouse precinct atop Newcastle’s iconic Nobbys-Whibayganba Headland. "

In May this year Vicki returned to Lighthouse Arts to complete another one day per week residency in this inspiring and creatively supportive environment. She used her time there to experiment with fabric collages incorporating naturally dyed and vintage fabrics, and organic cotton and silk threads.

This work is now evolving into a series of collages inspired by peering down narrow laneways in Japan.

Vicki's stitched textile work "Finding Quiet Lines" was included as part of the House of Stories II exhibition at Lighthouse Arts, Newcastle held in December 2024/January 2025.  This exhibition featured a selection of works created by artists during their Residencies at Lighthouse Arts in 2024.

This textile piece was inspired by recent travels in Japan, and the rustic beauty of a handmade matcha bowl. It utilises natural raw materials, including hand spun cotton and vintage Japanese fabric, to explore ideas around simplicity and humility. 

Lighthouse Arts is located on the iconic Nobbys-Whibayganba Headland in Newcastle, Australia. 

In March 2024 Vicki completed a one week intensive residency at Lighthouse Arts, Newcastle.  This was her second residency there, having completed one in 2022. 

Vicki used this time to begin a new body of work exploring the concept of humility. This was inspired by recent travels in Japan and a Japanese saying: "The riper the rice, the more deeply it bows". As one ages, and one's learning and skills develop, so does one's humility. 

The work consists of a series of hand stitched textiles incorporating vintage fabric, hand spun yarn and fabric dyed with kakishibu (fermented persimmon tannin).

This exhibition was the culmination of the 2023 Artist in Residence Programme at the Fibre Makers Space, Brough House, Maitland. Vicki took up the residency on 8th March and worked within this beautiful historic home to create a body of work inspired by the building itself and the extensive textile collection held in neighbouring Grossmann House.

The exhibition showcased the work Vicki completed during the residency and wasan engaging mix of craft tools, photographs and textile art.

The title "History Hides in Quiet Corners" was a phrase that came to Vicki at the beginning of her residency.  She was in a storeroom in Grossmann House and was shown a small section of original wall paper that had been preserved in the corner of the room. It generated ideas about how a place can be modified many times over, but little remnants of it’s past will still be there, often in quiet, overlooked places. This piece of wallpaper became the inspiration for a major fabric collage entitled "In Quiet Corners".

As the residency progressed that theme developed to encompass the work that women carried out in the quiet corners of Victorian homes. Women hid their personal history in the meticulously handcrafted textiles they created. This inspired Vicki to explore the craft of bobbin lace making, and to create a photographic series based on the Morning and Drawing Rooms of Grossmann House.

Vicki Cornish was selected as the 2023 Artist in Residence at the Fibre Makers Space, Maitland. This space is Located in Brough House, an historic home managed by the National Trust. The residency commenced on 8th March and continued until the end of May, culminating in an exhibition in June.

Vicki drew inspiration from the extensive textile collection held in neighbouring Grossmann House, and from the buildings and grounds of these historic homes to create a body of work using a variety of textile techniques.

During the residency Vicki explored the craft of bobbin lace making; experimented with the historical plant dyes weld and Saxon Blue; created a series of photographic studies from Grossmann House; and created woven and fabric collage major works.

Members of the public were invited to visit the Fibre Makers Space during the open studio sessions which were held every Monday and Tuesday from 10-3pm for the duration of the residency.  This was an opportunity to talk to Vicki about her art practice and observe the tools and techniques she uses.

Vicki was also present at Grossmann House open days, and ran workshops as part of the Autumn Workshop programme at The Fibre Makers Space.  

"In this exhibition artists of the Hunter Region reflect on and explore the amazing world of Blue."

Vicki was proud to be included in this group exhibition at Lighthouse Arts in October/November 2022.  The two woven works exhibited were completed during her Artist Residency at Nobbys-Whibayganba headland. They were woven with hand spun, indigo dyed natural fibres and were inspired by the constant roar of the ocean.

Vicki was particularly pleased to be able to display these works in the extraordinary environment that inspired their creation.