About Kate Mahoney
"Relic of Offler" (detail), handmade felt purse, 2018
I'm a dyer, felter, teacher spinner and knitter living in North Canterbury, New Zealand.
Under my former name, Kate Buckthought, I made handmade wool felt , exhibiting and teaching feltmaking (and occasionally spinning) throughout New Zealand between 1985 and 1999. I had work accepted in the World of Wearable Arts, the Norsewear Awards, Fibre and Fleece and the Hokonui Awards, as well as taking part in Creative Fibres Fashion Parades and Exhibitions on numerous occasions. During this time I was also Creative Fibres Waikato Area Delegate.
I then took a (long) break to study and later teach photography at the School of Art, Otago Polytechnic, graduating BFA in 2003, and opbatined a Postgraduate Diploma in Visual Arts in 2007. From 2007 until 2011 I was working (mostly fulltime) writing for the web and occasionally for print. During this period I reverted to my maiden name of Mahoney.
A lot has changed since I moved to Dunedin and started studying - for one, I'm a lot older! I now have had the experience of a prolonged study period with all the discipline that that entails. I've learned to be more critical about my work and to evaluate it more thoroughly while broadening my skillbase. Through teaching and gaining an adult teaching qualification I've become more aware of the issues involved with teaching adults. Although I truly love teaching motivated, excited students, I have made a decision to retire from teaching, at least for a time, in 2020.
Since moving to Canterbury in 2006 I have been getting back into woolcraft again, beginning with making nuno-felt scarves and then restarting my dyeing practice after being made redundant in early 2009. I'm really enjoying the experience, although I would like to have a bigger studio space for making some large projects I have in mind.
And...in 2019 I moved again, to Southland, with the prospect of becoming semi-retired. I'm finding now that I'm enjoying spinning more and more - as a hobby - and it keeps me motivated to explore new colour and fibres.
Under my former name, Kate Buckthought, I made handmade wool felt , exhibiting and teaching feltmaking (and occasionally spinning) throughout New Zealand between 1985 and 1999. I had work accepted in the World of Wearable Arts, the Norsewear Awards, Fibre and Fleece and the Hokonui Awards, as well as taking part in Creative Fibres Fashion Parades and Exhibitions on numerous occasions. During this time I was also Creative Fibres Waikato Area Delegate.
I then took a (long) break to study and later teach photography at the School of Art, Otago Polytechnic, graduating BFA in 2003, and opbatined a Postgraduate Diploma in Visual Arts in 2007. From 2007 until 2011 I was working (mostly fulltime) writing for the web and occasionally for print. During this period I reverted to my maiden name of Mahoney.
A lot has changed since I moved to Dunedin and started studying - for one, I'm a lot older! I now have had the experience of a prolonged study period with all the discipline that that entails. I've learned to be more critical about my work and to evaluate it more thoroughly while broadening my skillbase. Through teaching and gaining an adult teaching qualification I've become more aware of the issues involved with teaching adults. Although I truly love teaching motivated, excited students, I have made a decision to retire from teaching, at least for a time, in 2020.
Since moving to Canterbury in 2006 I have been getting back into woolcraft again, beginning with making nuno-felt scarves and then restarting my dyeing practice after being made redundant in early 2009. I'm really enjoying the experience, although I would like to have a bigger studio space for making some large projects I have in mind.
And...in 2019 I moved again, to Southland, with the prospect of becoming semi-retired. I'm finding now that I'm enjoying spinning more and more - as a hobby - and it keeps me motivated to explore new colour and fibres.