Jill Paynter-O'Meehan
Artist
Golden Wattle Hookers
The collaborative duo known as the Golden Wattle Hookers was established in 2015 by mother and daughter Jill and Holly O’Meehan. The Hookers’ practice attempts to engage audiences through the use of mass crochet and soft sculpture to question the stereotypes of crafts, particularly throughout regional Australia. Inspired by the Country Women's Association (C.W.A) as well as referring to their iconic cook book, The Golden Wattle Cook Book, they together create playful and interactive installations through their shared love for making.
Gnalla Pop-up Plaza
Nollamara Shopping Centre, April - June 2021. 'Gnalla' is the Indigenous word for 'our' and is the name of the pop-up Plaza created with the City of Stirling under the shade of the Ficus trees. The Golden Wattle Hookers Duo have installed soft crochet organisms that can be found sprouting from multiple trees within the Plaza.
Stirling Window Trail
Christmas Window Trail 2020, City of Stirling, Perth.
Installed in the window of Black Pig Deli & Co. Beaufort Street, Inglewood.
Tree Trail
Contributing artists to the City of Stirling Tree Trail at Dianella Regional Space, October 2020.
Attracting over 3000 people and covering 1.9km, this popular annual event invites visitors to experience the space where trees come alive to share their stories about why they are so important and the essential role they play in our everyday lives.
Jill and Holly installed arboreal and grounded crochet forms where one can move between magnified versions of lichen. fungi, capped mushrooms and a range of Banksia flowers and pods.
Neon Lagoon - Southern Ocean
Revisiting the sensory installation Neon Lagoon as part of the Southern Art and Craft Trail 2019 with a Southern Ocean twist. This work by Jill and Holly further explores the relationship we have with the ocean and the waste we dump there. Installed at Solomon Merchants in Albany the keen eye will see nestled in the elevated installation 'Ruby', a leafy sea dragon inspired by the FORM WA public silo trail mural of Ruby, painted by Yok and Sheryo.
Neon Lagoon @ Animaze
For the first time, Fremantle Arts Centre presented a contemporary art exhibition specifically for kids. Animaze is about amazing animals of all sorts, where kids can wander and explore the wonderful world of animals and art. Golden Wattle Hookers as Artists in Residence at FAC worked with more than 40 artists to create specially designed play spaces as well as hosting a hands-on children's crochet workshop within our lagoon inspired, crochet filled tactile space. Nov 2018 - Jan 2019.
Hook Wrap Pull
An immersive and collaborative installation that intends to initiate discussions about the contemporary dynamic between Art and Craft whilst participating in the creation of an art object using a craft technique. The Golden Wattle Hookers will be creating through out the duration of the exhibition and encourage visitors to add their own piece of crochet to the constantly evolving space.
Vancouver Arts Centre Albany, April 2017.
Hide Out
Featuring in the 2018 Southern Art and Craft Trail this installations of crochet nets explores the difference between child like play and the entrapment of adult life. Displayed as a colourful interpretation of the blanket fort or cubby house allowing the viewer to lose themselves in the cosy atmosphere of the crocheted nets.
Ode to Coffee
The annual Southern Art Trail 2017 featured Golden Wattle Hookers installation 'Ode to Coffee' at Albany's favourite coffee house and grocer, Solomon Merchants.
The Story of Wool
From the arrival of the first sheep on the Brig Amity in 1826, sheep and wool have been important to the livelihood and creativity of the Albany community. This rich history and importance of wool was told in ‘The Story of Wool’, an exhibition at Vancouver Arts Centre, Albany and repeated at the 2017 Albany Show. The Golden Wattle Hookers duo collaborated with local artists, school children and the community, contributing their installation of handcrafted crochet wool nets to encapsulate the space.
