Jennie-Maree's Friday Feature Artist Interview can be found at the bottom of this page.
Visiting the intriguing world of Australian textile artist Jennie-Maree Tempest is a natural delight.
Nestled in a converted barn studio in a coastal village on the Bass Coast of Victoria, Jennie-Maree finds her muse in the picturesque surroundings of rolling paddocks, native gardens and water views. Her journey begins with an intimate observation of botanical wonders, studying the intricate textures, vibrant hues and captivating shapes of flora.
Armed with a palette of fibres and threads, this talented artist sets out to breathe life into her vision through free-motion machine embroidery. Her textile sculptures invite viewers to explore the tactile forms she meticulously creates. Jennie-Maree manipulates the mechanics of the sewing machine to create what seems impossible. Whether adorning the walls of her delightful Studio Gallery or gracing the rooms of prestigious exhibitions, her artistry isn't merely about replication, it's a celebration of impermanence. Her botanical sculptures, born from countless hours of meticulous craftsmanship, capture the fleeting essence of nature's marvels, embracing both their perfections and imperfections with equal reference.
Starting in Textiles
Jennie-Maree has a long-term love of fibre arts. “Initially, I came from a quilting background,” she explains. “I did a bit of sewing at school, as you do. When I had young children, I started to make a couple of quilts, some curtains or that sort of thing. I always loved textiles, loved that tactile feel of fabric. Even nowadays, if I go into a shop I have to touch everything. I really enjoy that sort of thing and very quickly found that the sewing machine was my happy place. I quite literally like sitting in front of the sewing machine, so over the years, I went from quilting to art quilts to going into more freestyle machine embroidery. For many years, I did a lot of 2D work. I did a lot of faces and portraits and that side of things, because I was a hairdresser for 30 years, so that was more familiar to me. I always dabbled in a bit of 3D. I would make some toadstools and some little animals and some dolls, as you do. A bit of everything.”
Flora
It was a move to a new neighbourhood and the ability to walk the dogs locally that shifted Jennie-Maree’s perspective towards her floral and botanical creations. “We were coming back, and we were checking out the front, and there was a succulent actually poking through the fence. I kept on looking, and I'm thinking, ‘It looks really tactile. I can see it in fabric and thread.’ I brought it home and put it in a jug of water. And then sort of had a bit of a think about it, and played with it and played with some fabrics and what have you and a week later, I had produced my first piece.”
Creating Flowers
Jennie-Maree developed her skills to be able to create flowers and flora from fabric. She explains, “I did teach myself quite a lot of different skills in the sense of how to make it stand better and hold its own better. After that first week, I was so excited, and I was like, ’Oh, what am I going to make now?’ From there, I did make quite a few more succulents because I just found that that leathery leaf actually worked really well with that sort of tactile texture.”
At first, Jennie-Maree simply picked plants around her neighbourhood, but soon, she became more focused. “As time went on I realised that I really wanted to move more towards Australian natives. I think the banksia was one initially I thought about, and I had to think a bit about how I could construct it. You've got to take something where you stitch it flat, and then you need to work out how you can turn it into something that's a 3D form and make it look right and make it hold its own.”
Lots of experimentation helped Jennie-Maree eventually find what worked. “Naturally, when I would make something I could spend hours and hours and hours in this process of actually going through each stage. So I could spend 30, 40 hours not really knowing until I got to the other end whether it was actually going to work. So when you put it all together, you’d think, ‘Yes, that's it. That's what I had in my mind's eye of what I wanted it to look like’ and that was when I became quite passionate.”
Reality vs Art
“A lot of people, when they see my work in person, go, ‘Oh, I thought they were real,’” says Jennie-Maree. “I want them to look like they are real. I'm not going for complete perfection because sometimes that's just hard to get. But I still want it to look like what it actually is. But on the flip side of that, I still want it to look like it's thread and fabric. I'll quite often use something that's got a little bit of pattern in it because that just gives those little blemishes and stuff, which is in nature.”
The Next Generation
Jennie-Maree believes in the importance of mentoring and is practising what she preaches with her grandkids. “We have three sons, and we have six granddaughters,” she explains. “So we've gone from boys to girls, and I think I get the most joy when the kids are here and I'm teaching them how to do things. They are like sponges. Our oldest one, she's now 11, she made her first quilt when she was six. But from, I would say, 18 months to two years, I used to just put them on my lap, and I'd be doing free motion. I just put a scrap underneath there, and they just think it's wonderful. I figure one day, it'll be school holidays, and we’ll have this workshop, and everyone comes and does things which we've started to do with the older two, who are eight and 11.”
What wonderful skills and experiences Jennie-Maree is giving to her family!
About Jennie-Maree Tempest
Jennie-Maree Tempest specialises in reproducing the botanical world in fibre and thread in both a realistic and contemporary manner.
Jennie-Maree has been creative all of her life, with many years of teaching experience and a Diploma of Textile Arts.
Now residing on the beautiful Bass Coast of Victoria, she spends many hours creating embroidered native flora from her purpose-built barn studio, using free-motion machine embroidery, appliqué, and construction skills that she has developed into her own style and technique.
Jennie-Maree’s studio is open to the public on Fridays. Find out more on her Instagram profile!