Discipline and balance

I am still working out how to weave bold colour areas without it looking clunky. Blending background colours is easier because I can get away with a lot more when the colours are a close blend. Contrasting wefts on the other hand show up the mistakes like a spotlight.

Because weaving is systematic and you have to work from the bottom up, you are not afforded the luxury of going back and correcting a mistake (apart from really minor ones) unless you unpick your way all the way back down again and re-do it. Unless you are just playing around and experimenting, you need to have an idea of what you are setting out to do early on. That discipline is something that I really love about tapestry.

The tapestry is constantly evolving its look. I can't always tell in its early stages whether it is working or not. It is always useful to stand back and look at the balance of the whole thing. Continuing the recurring themes adds visual structure and strengthens the dynamics. I have just added some more black areas and it instantly transforms this sample. Definitely a good move.

One challenge of weaving a designed tapestry is that there are several conversations going on at the same time with different structures and different patterns. Learning to stay on top of it all and keep it going at the same time is the tricky part. The more time that I spend weaving, the more the materials are teaching me how they work, rather than me trying to impose my design ideas on them.

Time to develop

My relationship with weaving began almost twenty years ago when I came face-to-face with a large contemporary tapestry created by a young student. Realising that this individual had made the conscious decision to use their time, day after day, week after week, month after month creating this piece of work, and wanting to do it more than anything else, affected me profoundly. Our time here is such a precious commodity. I thought 'I need to be doing this too'.

Weaving doesn’t give away its secrets easily. Patience leads to discovery. To get results after sustained effort feels like an achievement. The formula is simple. In order to discover, go to the loom and cover the warps. Time spent at the loom = results. Evaluate, edit techniques and styles, evolve, move on to the next piece. Repeat.

In this sample, I’ve used a lot of whipping around single warps to create surface texture. I find it a lot more interesting to give the impression of a line without actually creating a solid line. If you give enough information, a line is visually assumed – I find that exciting. I’ve been creating these lines with a white cotton that glows under UV light. I am fascinated with the idea of combining ancient and modern.

The integrity of the weaving is really important to me. Hence, in this textural sample, I've been using plain weave amongst the whipping, and firmer wefts next to soft wefts to give structure and stability. In the next textural piece, I’d like to experiment more with wrapping vertically and whipping horizontally, and creating more contrasts in colours and textures.

Blending

Finding the right balance of colours, weft materials, and surface textures in each piece is an ongoing challenge. Today I was reminded - again - that it takes patience to find out what each material can do.

The only real way to gather this information is to put in the weaving hours. In doing so, I am gradually beginning to take note of the different characteristics of these materials, whether they combine well or not, and making adjustments as appropriate.

Perseverance is beginning to pay off. After an unsatisfying start, this piece has began to take shape and find its way. I am particularly interested in three areas: the nodule-like texture that is coming into the white lines; the dynamic between the horizontals and verticals; the mixture of bold foreground colour and quieter background colours.

(jute, sizel, rug wool, hemp, mercerized cotton)

Creating texture

The samples I’ve woven over the last month have focused on developing textural surfaces using techniques such as soumak knotting and weaving with textured fibres which add their own distinct characters and flavours to the woven surface.

In this piece, soumak knotting is carried out using sizel to create a regular pattern of distinctive, raised surface markings. I am inspired by scarification markings.

(sizel, jute, twine, rug wool)

Doing what you love

I believe that when we do what we love - whatever it is that makes us feel switched on, connected, peaceful, excited, happy (even if nobody ever knows about or sees what this thing is) - then we will in turn be at our most harmonious when we interact with the world around us.

For me, this means re-engaging with my creative process, and in particular, expressing my ideas through weaving.

(Jute, sizel)