Gilly Sheffield

Gilly Sheffield creates beautiful, distinctive + evocative works crafted from corrugated iron collected from sites around the motu, and shaped into works of art that weave a story of identity, whakapapa and history. We had the pleasure and privilege of catching up with Gilly

Read Gilly's story below...

What first drew you to creating artworks?

I have always been a creator and I have always loved old pre loved paraphernalia but it was when we were renovating an old villa and I fell head over heels with the old roofing iron that I created something that could be called art.

I cut out around 20 crosses from that iron. I could see in my head what I wanted to create, and I knew it would be about whānau but I just wasn’t sure about the detail or exactly how to go about it all. I remember at the end of that first day of cutting iron that I had the most euphoric feeling, it felt like this was what I was meant to do. I recorded my whānau’s whakapapa on that iron, it’s seriously rough as guts, but I adore it.

How did you first begin using thread with corrugated iron?

I started to experiment with weaving on the iron around the start of 2020, and I haven't stopped. I’ve done a few online weaving courses and I scour second hand book stores for books on weaving - they are hard to come across.

In 2024 I enrolled in an online Māori weaving course and that was fabulous.

We love that you utilise recycled corrugated iron, you have a fantastic ethos around both sustainability and history; houses that sheltered people for many decades. How do you source your materials?

Sourcing the iron is so much fun. I’m lucky my husband is in on this part of the journey too. I have my dad’s old snips in the car and whenever we are out driving I’m on the lookout. We will pull over and knock on doors. We love riding our bikes and I’ve stopped and talked to some friendly roofers on more than a few occasions. They are usually happy for me to come back and take away a few sheets. I think they think I’m a little crazy but that’s all good, they are probably right!I also have what I refer to as ‘The iron rescue collective’ - and this is a wonderful group of friends and family who message me whenever they see some iron that I could use, in some cases they have even delivered it to my door Sometimes a client wants a particular colour - and that’s when I will pop into the demo yards if I don’t have it at home. That takes a lot of time and is not always productive - I have to be careful not to get distracted and come out with a car load of stuff (that’s not iron) In terms of the thread (the fine mercerised thread that I use alongside the waxed cord) I am always looking in op shops - the old coats mercerised thread is so much stronger than the thread I can buy new. I have been lucky that some friends have also gifted me some of their old thread - and I started off with my mother’s thread and I have dad’s old fishing line which I use on special projects.

Your works portray whānau, culture and heritage. Do you utilise particular patterns to signify and represent this, or is your approach more intuitive, or a mixture of both?

My approach is definitely a mixture of both. As I gain experience I have found that I’m able to design patterns that portray my thoughts more clearly but I always believe in ‘play time’. Some great ideas can be formed when you let loose and forget about the rules.

The 'Matriarch’ is an example of a design that is as much about the iron as the weaving - I feel very connected to the strong women in my life who have influenced me when I make this design.

‘The Way Home’ is an early design - which is all about the Southern Cross which I think of as the guiding light of Aotearoa.

'My River' crosses are all about acknowledging and remembering those that came before us while we make our own journey towards our future.

One of the designs I’m really proud of is ‘It Takes a Village’ - I knew what I wanted to portray and I believe that the message speaks clearly in the weaving.

I won’t write about them all, we could be here for days...

Your works portray whānau, culture and heritage. Do you utilise particular patterns to signify and represent this, or is your approach more intuitive, or a mixture of both?

My approach is definitely a mixture of both. As I gain experience I have found that I’m able to design patterns that portray my thoughts more clearly but I always believe in ‘play time’. Some great ideas can be formed when you let loose and forget about the rules.

The 'Matriarch’ is an example of a design that is as much about the iron as the weaving - I feel very connected to the strong women in my life who have influenced me when I make this design.

‘The Way Home’ is an early design - which is all about the Southern Cross which I think of as the guiding light of Aotearoa.

'My River' crosses are all about acknowledging and remembering those that came before us while we make our own journey towards our future.

One of the designs I’m really proud of is ‘It Takes a Village’ - I knew what I wanted to portray and I believe that the message speaks clearly in the weaving.

I won’t write about them all, we could be here for days...

We love your notion that weaving is a universal language. How long have you developed this skill?

I have only been weaving since around 2020, I have embroidered and cross stitched on and off for most of my life, but actually weaving was new. It was when I started experimenting with patterns and reading weaving books that I realised that it was a universal language. That might sound obvious but for me it was a revelation. Even with the different methods used the end result was similar, and I was so drawn to the fact that so many of the women in my whakapapa would have been weavers . They may have spoken different language, but they had their craft in common.

We love your notion that weaving is a universal language. How long have you developed this skill?

I have only been weaving since around 2020, I have embroidered and cross stitched on and off for most of my life, but actually weaving was new. It was when I started experimenting with patterns and reading weaving books that I realised that it was a universal language. That might sound obvious but for me it was a revelation. Even with the different methods used the end result was similar, and I was so drawn to the fact that so many of the women in my whakapapa would have been weavers . They may have spoken different language, but they had their craft in common.

What does a typical day in your studio look like for you?

I don’t really have a ‘typical’ day - which is one of the things I love about being self employed. Some days are more about sourcing the iron - and then cleaning it - and sitting with it for a while (not always literally) thinking about what it will do with it. Sometimes I know straight away - but it can be a slow burn.

Some days will be spent in the garage - drawing outlines on the most beautiful parts of the iron, and then using a nibbler to cut the iron into manageable pieces and then I hand cut the ‘first cut’ before rubbing out any pencil marks - and I spray varnish them. After that there is often a second or third cut to get it looking good. Some iron needs multiple coats of varnish so that can be a matter of days before that process is complete.

I try to intersperse the weaving process in my studio with the cutting and varnishing - and maybe a bike ride or a walk because I basically start making mistakes after a few hours if I don’t take a break.

Sometimes I’ll spend hours just making patterns - some of which will never see the light of day, but it’s all fun.

Is there a destination in Aotearoa that is close to your heart, and why?

I am very lucky to be able to spend a lot of time in Wānaka - for us this place is all about whānau - and the memories that we are making.

I also do have a deep connection to Northland where I grew up and in particular Coopers Beach, we camped there every summer when I was young, just the thought of it makes me smile.