Monster madness

A very unusual and engaging artwork has been installed in the foyer of Warwick Art Gallery just in time for Jumpers and Jazz in July.
Brisbane yarn artist, Jessica Thompson, a former Warwick resident, has created an installation of cute and creepy characters inspired by conversations and sketches people have donated to Jessica about the monsters that frightened them when they were young.
Jessica’s art form of choice is a style of crochet that originated in Japan, called Amigurumi.
Jessica bumped into Amigurumi whilst searching online for patterns. It was a fateful encounter and it wasn’t too long before a monster-wool-obsessed fanatic was born.
After mastering the technique and style of Amigurumi Jessica needed to bring her own artistic ideas to life, leading to free-form work and working without a pattern, and not long after, she was creating her own complex patterns and designs.
Jessica has a long and happy association with Jumpers and Jazz in July, having entered a tree jumper just about every year.
Her entry last year featuring a family of crochet meerkats was the winner of the open competition.
Her new artwork at Warwick Art Gallery challenged her to think beyond small one-off pieces to create something on a large scale.
The Monsters Under the Bed concept was developed with the support of Warwick Art Gallery director Karina Devine.
An open invitation was distributed, inviting people to draw a picture or write a description of the monster that used to “hide” under their bed when they were little.
Jessica used the donated items to bring the dastardly characters to “life”. Twenty-three monsters have been created for the exhibition.
“I’m motivated by things I see and hear after speaking to other people about their childhood monsters. I have been surprised by people’s willingness to give their monster to me to create,” Jessica said.
The project has received support from the Regional Arts Development Fund, which is a Queensland Government and Southern Downs Regional Council partnership to support regional arts and culture.
If you would like to learn the Amigurumi style of crochet, Jessica is teaching a workshop for Jumpers and Jazz in July on Saturday from 10am to 4pm for $75. Contact Warwick Art Gallery on (07) 4661 0434 for more information.