About

I am Carolyn McIntosh, artist and owner of Wandering Fig Studio based in the Perth hills, Western Australia.  I love the magical process of creating, I couldn't imagine my life without it!

Animals and nature inspires me. I have been fortunate to have experienced close encounters with Western Australian wildlife as a volunteer wildlife carer over several years at a wildlife rehabilitation centre in Perth. Having the opportunity to interact, hand feed and care for native birds, reptiles and marsupials was an incredibly fulfilling and life changing experience that has greatly influenced my art and craft.

I work in many mediums and currently immersed in the art of needle felting. Stabbing into raw wool fibre with a sharp barbed needle hundreds of times to sculpt anything that you can imagine is thrilling to me and a great stress reliever.  I enjoy both hand sewing and needle felting and often use a combination of wool and fabric in my art and craft. My fibre/textile soft sculptures, homewares and accessories are handmade using a combination of recycled and natural fibres and fabric. Wool for my needle felted creations is sourced from New Zealand Corriedale sheep who are well cared for and are not mulesed.



My art education and background has been broad and diverse spanning twenty plus years commencing with technical college, university fine art studies, to recent local workshops with local artists and online workshops with artists from across the globe.

My studio name derives from the wandering fig vine which covered the outside walls of my first home studio space  in the Perth riverside suburb of Bassendean. The dried vine is a great fibre for weaving nests and free form baskets. In late 2016 I moved to the Perth hills suburb of Greenmount with my family to a lovely home with a great light filled loft studio space - lucky me!  The vast array of native birdss and reptiles who frequent my garden are a pleasure to see everyday and a source of inspiration for my creative work.

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life"

Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973)

Thanks for taking the time to find out more about me and my work!

Awards
Winner Hay Bale Challenge, York Festival 2017

Exhibitions

2017 Hay Bale Challenge, York Festival
2015 Birds of a Feather, Forest Heritage Centre, Dwellingnup
2015 Churchlands Senior High School Art Show
2015 Ellenbrook Art Awards
2015 Artists on the Walkpath, Riverside Gardens, Bayswater
2014 Community Art Exhibition, Churchlands Senior High School

2014 Reel It In, Native Animal Rescue marquee, educational display installation

2014 Open, Town of Bassendean, art stall and exhibition

2014 Artists on the Walkpath, Eric Singleton Bird Sanctuary, Bayswater

2013 Affordable Art Affair, Sarah House, Subiaco

2013 Connecting Communities Kalamunda, Zig Zag Gallery Kalamunda

2013 St Brigid's College Biennial Art Exhibition and Sale

2013 Midland Artsource Open Studios

2013 Ellenbrook Community Tea Party Event, The Gallery, Ellenbrook

2013 Fingers and Petals The Handmade Flower Show,The Gallery, Ellenbrook

2013 esordio>debut>beginning The Zig Zag Gallery Kalamunda

2012 Shoe-ing Off by Fibrant, Bassendean Memorial Library

2012 Bassendean Art Awards

2012 Mazenod College Art Show

2012 Canning Art Awards

2012 Town of Mosman Park Art Awards 

Art Related Education and Workshops
2017 Hay Bale Challenge Workshop with Natalie Tonkin, Moora
2016 Needle felting online workshop with fibre artist Dani Ives, Be Good Natured
2016 Needle felting monsters with artist Bonnie Boggard, City of South Perth

2014 Baskets From Your Garden, Forest Heritage Centre with Colleen Walker.

2014 Birds in Coloured Pencil online course by American illustrator Valerie Webb.

2013 Basket making workshop with Collen Walker

2012 Convergence Project, natural weaving through Mundaring Arts Centre.

2011-2013 A series of painting workshops held by local artist Neil Elliott.

1996 Basket making workshop with Nalda Searles

1990s first and second year degree units completed in the Bachelor of Visual Arts (Fine Art) through Curtin University (degree incomplete). 

1994 Associate Diploma in Art and Design (TAFE) (incomplete)

1993 Certificate in Art and Design (TAFE)

Art Related Work Experience

2015 Coordinated arrangements for wildlife rehabilitation volunteers to attend workshops with Leon Hendroff to create giant illuminated cockatoo for Joondalup Lantern Festival Parade. Created and designed coordinating gumnut/blossom lanterns, egg/nest lanterns.
2013 Installation assistant for The Tea Party, The Gallery, Ellenbrook

2013 Roster coordinator, admin support, installation assistant and gallery attendant for Fingers and Petals The Handmade Flower Show, curated by Nalda Searles and Judy Mary Seward held at Freight Gallery, Fremantle and The Gallery, Ellenbrook.

2013 Teacher Assistant, Australia Day Community Art Event by Fibrant, Town

of Bassendean.

2012 Coordinated Fibrant art group's Shoe-ing Off exhibition, Bassendean Memorial Library.

2012 Teacher assistant for "Here Comes the Neighbourhood", Fibrant on the Go

children's collage art workshop. Part of a series of workshop coinciding

with the Picasso to Warhol exhibition at the Art Gallery of WA.

2002 Mural Artist self employed. Painted children’s murals at daycare centres.

1994 Gallery Assistant: Venus Art Gallery, Beaufort St, Mt Lawley. Managed mail outs for exhibition openings and administrative preparations. Gallery attendant.

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life"

Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973)