Weaving for a Collaborative Art Show

13 Jul 2017 Leave a comment

by inspirationalvillage in Silver Circle Weaving Tags: , , , , , ,

The local winery here on Pender Island offers their large tasting room to local artists each weekend of the summer for art shows, and this summer I was invited to add my weaving to a group of four artists- painter (and my mother!) Margaret Alpen, photographers Eve Pollard and Derek Applegarth, and glass jeweller Nancy Westall.  The room at Sea Star Vineyards is open and bright, with lots of wall space and a large, plank style table in the centre.  It was wonderful to have so much room in which to display scarves and ponchos, rather than trying to fit everything in on a market table!  I also really enjoyed seeing my designs blend with the work of the other artists.  The colours of Nancy’s jewelry really matched beautifully, and Eve had a photograph that she took of my and Rosie.  Also my mother’s west coast arbutus trees and forest paintings created a wonderful sense of place.

I was inspired to focus mainly on pieces in which I had incorporated my hand spun angora fibre from my angora rabbit, Rosie.  I have been spinning it in a blend with other fibres, mostly merino and alpaca, and the pure white result is refreshing to weave with.  Having a few display mannequins really helped to show the shape of the ponchos, which were the pieces that sold the best!  This was my first art show, and it was lovely to chat with the folks that came by, and show them my Saori loom which I brought along to set up.

Another nice touch is the Winery’s request for the artists to donate to a local non-profit organization in lieu of rent for the space.

January Weaving

02 Feb 2016 1 Comment

by inspirationalvillage in Silver Circle Weaving Tags: , ,

The (slightly) quieter schedule that engulfs us after the holiday swirl offers a perfect time to focus attention back at my loom.  After a recent trip to Knotty By Nature in Victoria for a new array of warp thread, including some shiny bamboo, I have been continually inspired to explore and play with many ideas and colours.

Moss & Arbutus- My first attempt to weave from an idea of composition that I originally drew.  Warp threads are bamboo, weft consists of merino, and baby llama/mulberry silk blend.  The white accents are hand spun angora collected from my own rabbits.  158cm long (63in.) x 27cm (10.5in.)  

Fire- woven on the same bamboo warp as Moss & Arbutus, I used green baby llama/mulberry silk blend with Noro wool featuring long colour changes.  I played with the effect of clasp weaving using two yarns of differing thickness.  130cm (51in.) x 27cm (10.5in.)  

Forest Windows was inspired by seeing small squares woven separately in a cloak somewhere online, creating little “windows” that opened on the sides.  Same bamboo warp as the above pieces, I used similar merino with the baby llama/mulberry silk blend, with moments of white alpaca.  145 cm (57in.) x 27cm (10.5in.)

Pond is a tiny little neck warmer in the same hues as Ocean.  It is only 105cm (41in.) x 13cm (5in), and was woven on the same warp as Ocean, except that I split the warp and wove two separate pieces at the same time.  

Ocean is a long expanse of blues, purples, and white with flecks of cream and deep green.  I used alpaca, merino, wool, and some locally spun and dyed merino on cotton warp.   Randomly placed spaces in the warp add some visual texture in the length.  This piece measures 195cm (78in.) x 32cm (12.5in.), and may one day become a piece of clothing.

More Saori Weaving

14 Apr 2015 Leave a comment

by inspirationalvillage in Silver Circle Weaving Tags: , , ,

first market tableThe cool days of winter reflected in weaving… Here are a few photos of some of the things that have come off the loom in the last few months.  I had my first table at the Easter weekend farmers’ market- it was pretty fun to see all the colours out in the spring air and to connect with other islanders’ in sharing creations.  It was the first time I have really had a collection out in the public eye, and I was quite excited by all the supportive responses!

Here are a few scarves… lots of play with bright tones, mixing them randomly or with a preconceived design.  A few fibers in these include alpaca, merino, silk, and bamboo.  I love the saori philosophy that allows mistakes to be elements of design.  Eliminating the negative idea of a mistake opens the possibilities for unplanned creation.

I have also been experimenting with small vests, made in two ways- either cut in half and sewn up the back and sides, or a single length folded in a V in the back and sewn to the front under the arms.  The second way makes for a slightly more fitting cropped kind of vest, as seen in the yellow/blue vest.  The unfolded length of it can be seen in the photo above- I did some planning to make the yellow portion of the vest fall around the shoulders and the blue portion lie at the bottom, once it is folded.  The blue vest is made primarily with hand dyed merino and kid fiber from Fleece Artist in Nova Scotia.  It is cut in half and sewn up the back for a wider fit.

Sewn in a V at the back, the sunrise vest is mostly llama and wool.
This vest is made primarily with hand dyed merino and kid fiber from Fleece Artist in Nova Scotia. It is sewn up the back for a wider fit.

I often catch myself judging whether or not I like what I am doing.  As I work, the weaving gets rolled up to advance the warp strings, and my visual of the progress remains in the immediate ten inches or so.  It is not until I roll the whole thing off that I get a full look of what I have done, (unless I unroll it and peek, but that still has some visual limitations).  It is a chance to remember to work in the present, and trust that a complete picture of the creation will be revealed later… whether it is based on a preconceived idea I have attempted to follow, or a creation of random patterning, it is always a surprise to pull something off the loom and see it in it’s full form.

 

Weaving for Autumn

14 Oct 2014 1 Comment

by inspirationalvillage in Silver Circle Weaving Tags: , ,

peach scarf buttonsA few more weaving projects have left my loom over the past few months and are ready to be worn in the cooler weather of autumn.  Scarves, of course, are easy to weave and require nothing more than to drape them over oneself.

I made one piece of wide weaving into a tunic as a birthday gift for a friend of mine.  After cutting the weaving in half, I sewed the two pieces together up the back.  I found 6 hand made clay buttons and sewed two on each side and two in the front, with loops through which they close.  The warp threads are silk/nylon, and the various weft yarns are angora, merino, wool, and recycled sari silk.  Happy Birthday Nia!

Other scarves that have begun to pile up vary in width, length, heaviness, fibre content, colour and pattern.  I get drawn to follow a simple design, attempting to create a certain pattern, and then I am inspired to follow nothing at all but my spontaneous reach for colour and texture.  Scarves are great for not having to be committed to an idea for very long, especially with my collection of very random fibres.

 

Weaving for Art In The Orchard

30 Jul 2014 Leave a comment

by inspirationalvillage in Silver Circle Weaving Tags: , , , ,

saori spring wrap

A saori spring wrap

This past weekend, I was very pleased to be involved in the annual Art In The Orchard here on Pender, an island where artists and orchards abound.  Twenty some artists working in diverse mediums displayed their work throughout one of North Penders oldest orchard and heritage farm house, Corbett House B&B, dating back to 1902.  Paintings, print making, pottery, sculpture, wood working, jewelry, photography, stained glass, and fibre arts were all beautifully tucked under apple trees and framed with zig zag fencing while goats and sheep grazed on the other side.

Last year I had only a small collection of woven fabric that I hung up on the clothesline.  At that time, my journey into the art of saori weaving had just begun, and my available time was limited as we had many building projects on the go at our property.  This year, I found that the pile of weaving has indeed stacked up, and shows a pathway of explored techniques as I tried out new tings and made observations about texture and fibre qualities.  I was honoured to hang up my creations among so many other amazing Pender artists.