Fiona Collis
Tolaga Bay

Fiona learnt her craft in the most traditional places of learning, beside her whanau, at the marae, in the home. Brought up by her Grandparents, weaving in those days was a practicality: if a rope was needed for the hinaki, you wove it; if a plate was needed for the kai you made it. During her teenage years Fiona crossed over into mainstream schooling and for a time, drifted away from weaving. Discovering a love of problem solving she decided to study towards a Bachelor of Science and Maths...as any weaver will tell you the relationship between weaving and maths cannot be overstated "Over 3, under 1, over 3, under 2; weaving is about recognising patterns and finding a formula. It is about finding the pattern and locking in to it until the piece is finished".
Seeing the Eternal Threads exhibition as a twenty year old represents a turning point in Fiona's relationship with weaving. Until that point weaving to Fiona had always equated to tradition, and tradition was sacred - the Eternal Threads show offered Fiona her first glimpse into the contemporary movements occurring in weaving, and allowed her the freedom to discover and 'properly' express herself in her work.
Fiona is inspired by nature. She worked for a few years in a florists where the flower stocks were locally grown. Fiona describes being amazed by the whole growing process from seed to flower. She gained an appreciation for the natural colour palate, and loves rich colours, which she expresses in her work. Her floral influences also present themselves in her current weaving. Recently Fiona has been making large seed pods, nga kakano, that hang in groups spinning and catching the light and wind. They reflect her interests in colour, nature and form.
As a member of Toi Hauiti, a whakapapa-based roopu of artists from Uawa/Tologa Bay, Fiona has continued to develop her skills with the support of a strong whanau base. Far from being a thing of comfort however, she describes Toi Hauiti as the catalyst to get her "act together and not to be a couch potato". Toi Hauiti represents who she is and where she is from; it gives her strength, support and confidence and presents her with opportunities through which to succeed in her craft.

For commission work contact Fiona via email at: whiauna@gmail.com