Anne O’Leary is an artist based in the Perth Hills who primarily works with textiles and natural materials. Through her carefully refined process that she has developed with years of experience, Anne creates earthy, unpredictable patterns that reflect the landscape itself. This slow, meditative method is both scientific and intuitive: an ongoing dialogue with nature that celebrates its beauty and impermanence.

Anne grew up in a joyfully musical and artistic family and was always intrigued by artistic creativity in all its forms. Over the years, she has dipped into experimenting and enjoying a number of creative pursuits including learning five musical instruments, garden artistry, mosaics, resin art, Ebru Art, and printmaking. Experimenting with textiles and natural dying has been her favourite and is what she primarily bases her current practice around.

Anne spoke about the meticulous stages of preparation that are required before she can start the boiling portion of her natural dying process. She begins by collecting the material she wishes to work with.

“I like to work with fresh leaves, so I walk to different areas where I know my favourite leaves are.”

Next, Anne wets the silk and lays it on her workspace, then placing the various leaves, flowers, and seed pods onto the scarf. Anne then dampens cotton rag paper and lays it on top. Taking a dowel, she rolls the materials around it very tightly, then places it into a pot of boiling water for around an hour and a half. Anne’s favourite part comes next: unwrapping.

“The best part is the unwrapping as you never know how it will turn out. They say to let it cool first but I never have as I am way too impatient to wait!”

Speaking on the connection her pieces have to nature and place, Anne reflected on her time living in the Perth Hills.

“I have always loved the grounding effect of being in the bush, with only the sounds of the birds or the rustle of leaves. Living in the beautiful Perth Hills for seventeen years has enabled me to explore the bush even further, always picking up beautiful bark and leaves.”

Anne began her natural dying process as she wanted to harness the shapes, colours, and patterns she was discovering in the bush.

“I thought there must be something I can create to show off this natural beauty.”

After a lot of practice, Anne achieved the clarity found in the prints she produces on silk and cotton rag paper today.

Speaking on what she hopes people will discover when viewing her pieces, Anne noted that sharing her pieces with others brings her immense joy and excitement and she hopes that others can be just as amazed by the exquisite beauty of her pieces as she is.

Images courtesy of Anne O’Leary.

Grace Starcevich