I draw inspiration from the world around me and from particular aspects of life. Previously my work dealt with my experience as a Scottish migrant – looking back and forward, north and south, here and there, between two countries. This ‘in-between-ness’ of the migratory experience, while not unique to me or other Australians, contributes to my sense of being made up of many parts, a kind of fragmentation where certain components come into play at different times. There is an eternal mismatch or sense of being out of place in my world as I am recognized as Scottish in Australia when people hear me speak but in Scotland people comment on my Australian accent. In a wider sense Australia’s history and culture is made up of many examples of people and things brought together without a good likeness or fit. Woven tapestry allows me to combine my interests in textiles and visual art using the tactile qualities of materials in the highly complex woven form. It allows be to create realistic images, but change format, composition and placement to create images which invite the viewer to question. The intricate nature of multiple wefts twined between warps parallels the complexities of life and tapestry’s building /constructed process embodies the advancement of time.Wangaratta Art Gallery CollectionA small tapestry of a gum leaf and a singe root system handwoven in a colour palette of black, grey, and white.valerie kirk, tapestry, textile

I draw inspiration from the world around me and from particular aspects of life. Previously my work dealt with my experience as a Scottish migrant – looking back and forward, north and south, here and there, between two countries. This ‘in-between-ness’ of the migratory experience, while not unique to me or other Australians, contributes to my sense of being made up of many parts, a kind of fragmentation where certain components come into play at different times. There is an eternal mismatch or sense of being out of place in my world as I am recognized as Scottish in Australia when people hear me speak but in Scotland people comment on my Australian accent. In a wider sense Australia’s history and culture is made up of many examples of people and things brought together without a good likeness or fit. Woven tapestry allows me to combine my interests in textiles and visual art using the tactile qualities of materials in the highly complex woven form. It allows be to create realistic images, but change format, composition and placement to create images which invite the viewer to question. The intricate nature of multiple wefts twined between warps parallels the complexities of life and tapestry’s building /constructed process embodies the advancement of time.Wangaratta Art Gallery CollectionA small tapestry of roots and leaves handwoven using a colour palette of black, grey, and white.valerie kirk, textile, tapestry

I draw inspiration from the world around me and from particular aspects of life. Previously my work dealt with my experience as a Scottish migrant – looking back and forward, north and south, here and there, between two countries. This ‘in-between-ness’ of the migratory experience, while not unique to me or other Australians, contributes to my sense of being made up of many parts, a kind of fragmentation where certain components come into play at different times. There is an eternal mismatch or sense of being out of place in my world as I am recognized as Scottish in Australia when people hear me speak but in Scotland people comment on my Australian accent. In a wider sense Australia’s history and culture is made up of many examples of people and things brought together without a good likeness or fit. Woven tapestry allows me to combine my interests in textiles and visual art using the tactile qualities of materials in the highly complex woven form. It allows be to create realistic images, but change format, composition and placement to create images which invite the viewer to question. The intricate nature of multiple wefts twined between warps parallels the complexities of life and tapestry’s building /constructed process embodies the advancement of time.Wangaratta Art Gallery CollectionA small tapestry of a tree and its root system handwoven using a colour palette of black, grey, and white.valerie kirk, tapestry, textile

Caught Fish, PANGASIANODON GIGAS” is a miniature version of the larger tapestry described below and it embodies the same ideas: The giant Mekong Catfish is under threat of extinction due to over-fishing and loss of habitat. It is beleived that the fish used to reach sizes over 3 metres, but the largest recorded catch to date is 2.7 metres – a monster fish caught in Thailand in 2005. As its fame and the mythology surrounding it increases, so does the number of game fishermen keen to land a record catch or earn a sizeable amount of money in the exotic food marketplace. However, the water flow of the river is increasingly more controlled by China, changing the natural habitat of the river. It seems that survival of the great catfish is being left to chance and the fish’s ability to avoid nets, lines and traps in the murky green waters of the Mekong. My exhibition piece is a giant, woven Pangasianodon Gigas – made as a shaped tapestry which will hang the way a fisherman would hold up his catch to display or be photographed as his trophy. The drawing was made from photographs of very large fish I observed in Laos and the detail on the body of the fish is deliberately ambiguous scales/nets. The piece will be woven on cotton seine twine (which was originally made as a string for fish netting) with mixed weft yarns. Artist statement about the work: The final work is an abstraction of fish and nets – an image made with a hand drawn quality suggesting the personal observation that goes with looking and responding with ink on paper. The tapestry technique mimics the original marks to a certain degree but is also very obviously a woven form with its stepped edges and shapes, blending of tones through hachure and broad set of warp and weft.Wangaratta Art Gallery CollectionA small tapestry of a caught fish handwoven using a colour palette of black, grey, and white.valerie kirk, tapestry, textile, fish

Funding from Bicentenary Committee. Valerie Kirk assisted with cartoon, PFG did the rest. Presented to Cr. Bernard Wallace, 11 December 1992, and unveiled at Portland Library.Large tapestry with central image depicting people, animals, landmarks and activities on the foreshore of Portland harbour. Surrounded by a yellow border with symbols of history, industry and immigration on both sides. Hung by a wood panel across top.Back: VKIRK RT JH RS DA - - (tapestry letters in varied colours, lower right edge) PS GWEC ODME OK MS (Tapestry letters in varied colours, lower left edge)textile, tapestry, tall ships, bicentenary