Weaving on a handmade reed tool – a study in tapestry

Building on the creative cloth experience and a love of starting from scratch to create original art, I am an avid hand stitcher and intermediate learning weaver! FASCINATED by lines and their intricate crossings, I love to see the strings and tie-ups and the beginning of making CLOTH for art…and the loom is my tool of choice these days.

The Loom is made up of wood and uses many lines and cords and tie-ups.

When I visit exhibitions and study the beautiful art, I dream of being able to be inspired by what I see and take as a lesson in a changed, original design of my own – and seeing the LINES that are heading off in every possible direction – just amazing.

Credit: Helfa Gelf , Sea Cloth inspired by seascape and marshes of North Wales Coast

With vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines, the Artist/Maker decides where to take the artwork. I am ALWAYS fascinated, and return over and over to stand in awe, following along the lines and discovering their path.

Credit: Jason Gillingham Montréal – Tiohtià:ke,   Vio lence / late

An artwork seen in an exhibition, ‘VIO lence’  shares many directions and lines that are created with found objects – copper, barbed wire, wood, trees, saw blades, chains, shovels, tree branches, and even text that is printed through the lines of wider cloth.  Imagine the work that went into this huge lines-focused artwork – how could it play into your study and consideration for new work? Maybe not with iron and steel, but tree branches, string, found natural weeds and bark…so much to dream about!

So how do we choose the path for our own artwork – well, I take a walk outdoors or a ride in the car, and just look around to observe what I might start thinking about as possible ART!

We all observe painted lines on our roads – doves sitting on power lines, rows and turns in ‘live’ gardens, fences rows, buckets and pots in garden centers, clotheslines, and those endless line-ups indoors at the grocery store, and in parking lots, so many cars all lined up and waiting.

And then there are the forest walks…

A walk along a forest trail… LINES IN EVERY DIRECTION

I so look forward to seeing what our Cloth in Common Artists create for us and will share February 1st! Welcome, Bronwyn, Al and Janine….

2 thoughts on “LINES, In Every Possible Direction

    1. Thanks so much, Al…and for sure, lots to think about by all of our friends as they work toward their deadlines for the soon to be Revealed quilts!

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