Barbara Pritchard is an Upper Murray artist who works from her studio amongst bushland near Walwa, Victoria.
Her professional art practice covers 40 years working in mixed media, handmade inks and contemporary textiles for which she has won many awards.
Barbara’s work in textiles has been recognized throughout Australia and USA as well as residing in the Victoria Museum Archives.
Pritchard is known for her intricate textile artworks that are inspired by the natural beauty of her surroundings. The wild and untamed Australian landscape inspire and inform her work which reside in collections within Australia and overseas as well as archived in Victorian Museum in Melbourne. Pritchard’s work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally, and she has won numerous awards for her textile art.
Much of Pritchard’s work is created using natural dyes from plant leaves and nuts she has grown herself or collected via windfalls. Pritchard’s work is characterized by her use of color, texture, and form to create pieces that are both visually stunning and emotionally evocative. Pritchard is particularly drawn to wool, silk, and cotton. She also uses natural dyes creating a range of hues that are both vibrant and subtle.
At the core of Pritchard’s work is a deep respect for the environment, which is demonstrated through her use of natural, recycled and ethically sourced fibre, water, framing materials, printing techniques and solar energy. She uses a variety of techniques in her work, including dyeing, screen printing, embroidery, and quilting. Her pieces often feature complex layers of fabric and intricate stitching, creating a sense of depth and texture.
Barbara’s art practice has developed over 40 years of living closely with the environment in the Snowy Mountain Region of Victoria.
“I work with mixed media, handmade inks and brushes, oils and textiles.
For my contemporary ecoprinted works I use silk, a natural fibre which is sourced through a company with ethical practices. For my large habitat works I use only scraps that are left from garments previously made or from repurposed or recycled dyeing projects.
My eco printing and natural dyeing techniques are used with natural leaves, bark, or seed pods I grow, and I try to restrict gathering of leaves to mainly windfalls. The frames are recycled timber with stretched upcycled Japanese fishing nets. All power used is generated through solar energy and any water used I have collected.”
In addition to her work as an artist, Pritchard is also a passionate advocate for the arts in regional communities. She has worked as a teacher and mentor, sharing her skills and knowledge with other artists and helping to promote textile art in rural areas.
“It is important to me that my art practice is not harmful for the environment and is as non-polluting as is possible.”
Shop
Barbara is the founder of Alchemy of Colour. Her colour therapy work can now be found here in her range of healing shawls. Shop Barbara's Works on Paper and Colour Therapy Shawls
Works on Paper
Drawings and Sketchings going back 45 years.
Colour Therapy
Hand Painted Silk Shawls. Worn to give people feelings of Security and Nurturing.