Sunday, February 05, 2012

Tapestries - ART in the Street (Bendigo)



My exhibition at Goldfields Library Bendigo

I have been making a number of pieces for this exhibition that is run as a collective of 18 artist's, each in a business of Bendigo and 2 in Eaglehawk. It is organised and supported by the Bendigo Advertiser and City of Greater Bendigo.
My pieces have been influenced by my interest in weave, the materials around home and the ways of creating works that stimulates the senses.






These range in size from 10cm x15cm to over 50cm x 50cm and all woven in the no selvage method. I collected the bark after released from the trees around the home. I then looked at the way the gum's leaves would range in lovely greens.  





To use yarns from cotton to wool to express the many colours that is gained from the viewing of many trees looking back at myself. So from light to dark mixed among shapes as can be seen in the way the bark has shaped itself.
The sunset, (left top) is the view overlooking the town, gum tree (left bottom), close up memories of home (right top) and blocks of land (shaped right bottom) are all how I see the area I call home.










The Battery
This is to show my view of a dream gold mine in the old days.
I finish off with my two samples that was part of the Tapestry studies I started in 2004 as part of my textiles studies. Tapestry is one way I get express visual, textural and experimental elements that may stay with this method or go into other textiles ideas. 

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Stainless Steel & Silk Warp

This length has taken some time as I have been seeing what white yarns I wanted to use on a stainless steel and silk warp. I had been collecting small amounts of the stainless steel and silk over the last couple of years through sampling and shipbuilding as they have been kind to let myself  know about the fabulous yarns from Avril and Habu among a few others. The introduction of Saori weaving from Sampling has opened many possibilities from my ideas head space. So I wind the warp - To which I am still a bit naughty in not working out too many figures like the number of ends per inch and sett, but that's me. I did write down somewhere the number of ends I ended up with but alas it is now in a new safe place.


On the Table Loom,  looking at the light coming through.

I have such a lovely time when sitting chatting to the two companion's that keep myself company on this textile journey - while I explore what happens when ?????? ya that was interesting.


A square of stainless steel and silk to give a feature of some sort.

I still have tension issues and edges that look like waves to which I am learning to live with, forever viewing them as expressions of my emotional and other parts of me coming through.


Unwashed - detail of one end, what wrinkles and where did they come from? 

The weft is a combination of vintage white boucle Paton's (?1950's), wool 3-4 ply, silk and cotton blend, silk gima, cotton, tencel and possibly a couple of other yarns all of which could be brought as white yarn. Along with stainless steel and silk as the open squares to gain shape and movement in the piece or at least interest for me on how to weave them as I go along.


Finished unwashed length laid out in hall.

The only place which is long enough to see the length. Images a bit bright, yet it is a very sunny day and I was glad to see the total length. I kept the fringes longish to see what will happen when wet finishing is done, the only bit will be to sort out knotting.

Thanks

Weaving

To be weaving this length approx 3 metres long and 10cm wide. I have used 100% wool, for both warp and weft. The weft is made up of single o...