Sue Hiley Harris

"At heart I am a weaver. I believe that my current work creating
3-D structures brings together pervasive themes in my life and art encompassing the study of fine art, a fascination with geometry, an abiding interest in science, a deep understanding of yarn and the practice of weaving.

Although I have lived in a wonderful part of Wales since 1981, I was born and brought up in Australia. I studied Fine Art at the Queensland College of Art in Australia and worked as a museum artist at the Queensland Museum. It was after I settled in the UK in the mid-1970's, that my interest in weaving began and I learnt first to spin and then to weave. I studied for the Bradford Diploma in Handloom weaving. During this time I became fascinated with silk and soon afterwards began to breed silkworms, research silk fibres and started the silk fibre business as well as weaving exclusively with spun silk yarns. Later in the 1990's I studied biology and chemistry with the Open University.

Towards the end of the twentieth century my weaving moved away from the earlier functional pieces: sensuous and responsive three-dimensional structures in linen and hemp emerged. These have since developed in technique and scale. My first really large scale work was exhibited at my solo exhibition in Brecon in 2002. I continue to weave 3-D structures and take pleasure in creating tiny forms as well as large scale work. I greatly appreciate the encouragement and financial support I have received from the Arts Council of Wales (bursaries in 1999 and 2001) and Wales Arts International (2003 and 2004) in the development of my work".

Sue has exhibited and undertaken many private commissions both in the UK and internationally and has lectured and held workshops in Britain, Ireland, Australia and the U.S.A. Her work has recently been seen in international textile exhibitions in Great Britain, France, Poland, Austria, Italy, Japan, Switzerland and Australia. Details of exhibitions where Sue's work can be seen now or in the future are on the exhibition page and below is a list of exhibitions where Sue's woven sculptures have been exhibited.


EXHIBITIONS

Golden Jublilee Exhibition (Association of Guilds of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers)
Knitting & Stitching Show, London, Dublin & Harrogate 2005

National Eisteddfod of Wales, Arts & Crafts Exhibition
Eryi a'r Cyffiniau, Wales 2005

Homelands (Fibre.Art.Wales)
Denbigh Library Art Gallery, Denbigh, Wales and Braintree Museum & Art Gallery, England 2005

Origins (Fibre.Art.Wales)
National Craft Gallery, Kilkenny, Ireland 2005

take pART
a dispersed exhibition, Knighton, Powys, Wales 2005

Influenced by Architecture
Walford Mill Craft Centre, Dorset, England 2005

Broadening Horizons
Walford Mill Craft Centre, Dorset, England 2005

Fold It
Stroud House Gallery, Gloucestershire, England 2005

Sculpture in the Garden
Hergest Croft, Herefordshire, England 2004

Focal mix
A dispersed exhibition of Contemporary Art, Ruthin, Wales 2004

Celebrating Ten (Fibre.Art.Wales)
Minerva Arts Centre, Llanidloes, Wales 2004

Origins (Fibre.Art.Wales)
Knitting & Stitching Show, London, Dublin & Harrogate 2004

Homelands (Fibre.Art.Wales)
Oriel Mwlden, Cardigan, Wales and Cirencester Brewery Arts, Cirencester, England 2004

Visions in Paper and Cloth
Ramsgate Library Gallery, Ramsgate, England 2004

Trame d'Autore
IV Biennale D'Art Tessile, Chieri, Italy 2004 and Textilmuseum, St Gallen, Switzerland 2005

Woven Structures
Ararat Gallery, Ararat, Victoria, Australia (solo) 2004
with the support of Wales Arts International

Material Matters
Stourbridge, England 2003

Blue
The Chink in the Wall Contemporary Gallery, Lincolnshire, England 2003

Braid Society Celebration Exhibition
London, Leicester, Barnard Castle and Exeter, England 2003-2004

The Sculpture Trail at Hebden Bridge
Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, England 2003

Paper & Pulp
Craft in the Bay, Cardiff, Wales 2003

Woven Structures
Walford Mill Gallery, Wimborne, Dorset, England (solo) 2003

Sheep - A Celebration in Art
Brecknock Museum & Art Gallery, Brecknock, Wales 2003

Fibre Visions (Fibre.Art.Wales)
Gloucester City Museum & Art Gallery, Gloucester, England 2003

Metamorphing
Welcome Trust Art/Science Exhibition at the Science Museum, London, England 2002-2003

British Shibori Exhibition at the International Shibori Symposium
Harrogate, England 2002

Seventh International Triennal of Mini-Textiles
Angers, France 2002-2005

Woven Structures
Brecknock Museum & Art Gallery, Brecon, Wales (solo) 2002

Trame d'Autore
III Biennale D'Art Tessile, Chieri, Italy 2002

Art in Action
Waterperry, England (demonstrator) 2002

Gardening Gloves - fibre art in the open
Norton Priory Museum, Cheshire 2002

Intersections
Norwegian Church Arts Centre, Cardiff, Wales (solo) 2001

Sue Hiley Harris
The Gallery at Thirty-Seven Lion Street, Hay-on-Wye, Wales (solo) 2001

Following the Thread
Bangor Museum & Art Gallery, Wales 2001

5th Baltic Biennail of Weaver's Miniature
Gdynia, Poland 2001

Roman Textile Exhibition
Carrnuntum, Austria 2001

The World Competition of Arts & Crafts
Kanazawa 2001, Japan 2001

Fibre Visions (Fibre.Art.Wales)
Llantarnum Grange, Wales 2001

Fibre Visions (Fibre.Art.Wales)
The Contemporary Craftsman, Monmouth, England 2001

National Eisteddfod of Wales Arts & Crafts Exhibition
Llanelli, Wales 2000

Trame d'Autore
2a Biennale D'Art Tessile, Chieri, Italy 2000

2nd International Hemp Competition
Textilefest, Drossendorf, Austria 2000

Sixth International Triennal of Mini-Textiles
Angers, France 1999-2002

New weaves
Stratford-upon-Avon, England 1999-2000

Milton Keynes Midsummer craft exhibition
Milton Keynes, England 1999

1st International Textile (Hemp) exhibition
Austria 1998



QUALIFICATIONS
Associate Diploma in Fine Art, Queensland College of Art, Brisbane, Australia 1974
Bradford Diploma in Handloom Weaving, Bradford, UK 1982
BSc(Hons), Open University, UK 1998

Sue can be contacted on sue@suehileyharris.co.uk