I finished the painted weft weaving today. Part of the charm was not knowing exactly how it would turn out. I find that the strong horizontal line in the almost exact center bothers me. I think that I’m going to hem back one edge to push it more toward the rule of thirds, then mount and frame it.
The strong browns and blues on the “back” of the weaving pleased me but they overwhelmed the original idea, which was a tidal pool on a Pacific beach.
One of my co-workers suggested that if I flipped it, the “sky” becomes ocean and waves, and the “beach” becomes sky at sunset.
I like that. It has taken a life of its own. Now I have to figure out what to name it.
This has been fun and I believe I need to play with this technique some more, since I’m learning what works for me as I go. Time to order some white bombyx silk again, unless I can find what I’m sure I already have somewhere.
The back of the weaving is fun too. The little loops are how I adjusted the weft to place the colors where I wanted them.
Thanks, Pam Patrie, for teaching me. This was dyed at one of her workshops.
Oh, and I’m trying to get back into sketching, collage, and book art too. I love to draw when I make myself take the time to do it. This is a quick sketch of one of my mother’s cacti which now live in my office. It has been blooming for a couple of months. Ordinarily I’d call it a Christmas cactus but it doesn’t bloom at Christmas.
Collage is on my mind too. I bought several books on collage at Powell’s when I was in Portland, and I’m looking forward to a Paper Painting workshop with Elizabeth St. Hilaire at Art Makers Denver in September, as well as a book workshop with Leighanna Light, where I’m sure to pick up some skills with working with metal and found objects in book making. I’m combining these workshops with a visit to my aunt and cousin.
I love Colorado. It is still high on our list of where we may end up if we are ever able to retire.
