Yvonne Sloan

Aotearoa New Zealand, b.1941

Structure Panels X VI VII

  • Wool
  • Purchased 1984
  • 850 x 1490mm
  • 84/73

Tags: abstraction, red (color), stripes

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Yvonne Sloan began weaving in 1963 while she was an art and craft advisor for the Department of Education, and she has contributed significantly to the development of weaving as an art form in Aotearoa New Zealand. These abstract architectural panels are a selection from a larger series and are made using an adapted form of the twill weaving technique. The artist has used an autumnal palette to generate a bold three-dimensional space. Similar to the ideas of Bauhaus weaver Anni Albers (1899–1994), the inspiration for Sloan’s work comes from the structure of the weave and the interplay of colour created through the criss-crossing of warp and weft threads. Sloan says she made her motifs increasingly abstract so that the structure and the design of her work reinforce and enhance each other, as seen here.

(Die Cuts and Derivations, 11 March – 2 July 2023)

Exhibition History

Peter Robinson Die Cuts and Derivations 2015. Cut wool felt. Private collection. Image courtesy of the artist and Coastal Signs
Die Cuts and Derivations
Image: uploads/2023_07/84_73.jpg
other labels about this work

  • Essential Forms, 10 May 2003 – 16 May 2004

    In creating these visually arresting abstract panels, Yvonne Sloan has adapted the twill weaving technique. The inspiration for her work comes from the structure of the weave and the interplay of colour created by the criss-crossing of threads. Sloan says she has made her motifs increasingly abstract so that the structure and the design of her work reinforce and enhance each other. Sloan has contributed significantly to the acceptance of craft weaving as an art form in New Zealand. Sloan was born in Auckland. She began weaving in 1963 while she was an Art and Craft Advisor for the Department of Education. She went on to study weaving at Satergiantan, Sweden, in 1966. Back in New Zealand, Sloan and her husband, Ian Spalding, established a professional weaving partnership in 1977. Sloan has received many awards and commissions. In 1994 she was artist in residence at Waikato Polytechnic and in 1998 she was invited to exhibit at the Crawford Art Centre in St Andrews, Scotland.