Lissa de Sailles

Everything begins with a story, a thread in a needle, a skein of wool, natural fibres in dexterous hands making and creating for my family and friends. My work has evolved through a number of creative paths. Whether cooking, gardening, dancing, stitching costumes and clothes or writing, I have always approached my work with passion. It wasn't any coincidence that I embraced the skills needed to make beautiful sculptural basketry and fibre art when the opportunity came for me to train with master maker Jim Walliss in 2013. More opportunities arose for me as I pursued excellence in my art practice through awards with Craft NSW as an emerging artist and two scholarships from the Veolia Mulwarree Trust to travel internationally to study in Ireland, England and the USA. From these experiences I have gained many skills and knowledge. It has also been a privilege to work with Aboriginal women in Borroloola in 2016 and with women Elders in the Illawarra over a number of years. I spend most of my time in my studio in Shoalhaven developing new work for exhibitions and workshops. Recently I was awarded a 2021 Georges River Artist in Residence in Sydney .

My inspiration comes from the patterns and repetitive cycles of the natural world. Initially trained as a dancer, the rhythmic movements required in basketry construction allow me to approach my art practice intuitively and effortlessly as an embodied practice. Traditional crafts such as knitting, sewing and crochet learned at an early age also inform my work. Harvesting, processing and using natural materials attune me to ancient practices where respect for natural resources challenge me to tread lightly and constantly evaluate my role in a modern consumerist society. Most recently I have created a body of work using recycled electrical and telecommunication cables. This work explores the dark matters of our constant need for new technologies while discarding the obsolescent to landfill. Finding beauty and usefulness in discarded materials has been challenging and rewarding. I never know where the work is going to take me and that is the exciting part of the journey.