Old Bag Series

2015 -16

Now settled in Timaru, with a studio in the former billiard room of her big old house, Cordeaux embarked on a new series of experimental works. She writes:

Through painting I explore the many challenges women confront and overcome.  A rude comment, suggesting my ‘use by’ date had passed, inspired my current series, “Old Bags”.

Wool packs are large, strong bags for shorn fleeces. At the wool store, they are sliced open so a fleece sample can be pulled out for testing. The gash is then stitched up. When the packs are too worn they are often sold as useful bags for gardeners’ or builders’ rubbish. They seemed ideal canvases for my series of paintings about the amazing resilience of women.

Despite age and all sorts of mutilation, we are still capable of useful contributions to society. And we can express great joy in just being alive. I use a restricted palette of colours, a challenge in itself ­- to make each work individual, just as each woman is an individual with something to offer to the world.

Twenty large-scale works later, Cordeaux completed the series with a collaborative painting. She describes it:

I was inspired by the Indian Holi Festival of Colours to create a final work for my "Old Bag" series of paintings. Holi is a day to forgive, look ahead and celebrate as a community, with colours.

On Valentine's Day 2016, I invited 8 women friends to celebrate their lives by taking part in this art work, "Colour Run".

I supplied the canvas – a used wool pack opened completely flat, exposing all its wrinkles, lumps, holes and stitched-up repairs.

The paint was from the last of the tins I had used in my series of works.

My friends had one hour to do whatever they liked to make the painting – to feel as free and happy as when they were children playing. And they did!

View portfolio...

  • In the Beginning, 2015,
    acrylic on high density
    polyethylene wool pack,
    1350mm (H) x 690mm (H)

  • Opened Up, 2015,
    acrylic on high density
    polyethylene wool pack,
    1300mm (H) x 795mm (W)

  • Dags, 2015,
    acrylic on high density
    polyethylene wool pack,
    1725mm (H) x 735mm (W)

  • Failed Stitch-Up, 2015,
    acrylic on high density
    polyethylene wool pack,
    1680mm (H) x 715mm (W)

  • Hogget Fleece, 2015,
    acrylic on high density
    polyethylene wool pack,
    1760mm (H) x 710mm (W)

  • New York in June, 2015,
    acrylic on high density
    polyethylene wool pack,
    1760mm (H) x 690mm (W)

  • Torn Apart, 2015,
    acrylic on high density
    polyethylene wool pack,
    1760mm (H) x 690mm (W

  • All Stitched Up, 2015,
    acrylic on high density
    polyethylene wool pack,
    1760mm (H) x 705mm (W)

  • Exposed, 2015,
    acrylic on high density
    polyethylene wool pack,
    1600mm (H) x 1130mm (W)

  • Cross Breed Hogget, 2015,
    acrylic on high density
    polyethylene wool pack,
    1740mm (H) x 700mm (W)

  • Wild With Excitement, 2015,
    acrylic on high density
    polyethylene wool pack,
    1760mm (H) x 720mm (W)

  • Rain in New York, 2015,
    acrylic on high density
    polyethylene wool pack,
    1550mm (H) x 1285mm (W)

  • Blue Light Bag, 2015,
    acrylic on high density
    polyethylene wool pack,
    1530mm (H) x 1340mm (W)

  • Controlled, 2015,
    acrylic on high density
    polyethylene wool pack,
    950mm (H) x 647mm (W)

    Winner: Gordon Harris Merit Award 2016

  • Controlled, 2015,
    acrylic on high density
    polyethylene wool pack,
    950mm (H) x 647mm (W)

  • Central Park Fireworks, 2015,
    acrylic on high density
    polyethylene wool pack,
    1600mm (H) x 1300mm (W)

  • Kiwi Stamp, 2015,
    acrylic on high density
    polyethylene wool pack,
    1630mm (H) x 1330mm (W)

  • At the End of It, 2015,
    acrylic on high density
    polyethylene wool pack,
    1540mm (H) x 1310mm (W)

  • Ego Bag.
    acrylic on high density
    polyethylene wool pack.
    1530mm (H) x 1270mm (W)

  • Random Bag,,
    acrylic on high density
    polyethylene wool pack,
    1580mm (H) x 1260mm (W)