The Tuesday knitting group was fun, with a new member, also bears! I played with the bears.
Chat ranged over Hoopla, Libby, reciprocal library cards, mammograms, backstrap weaving, Aran sweaters, comfort dolls, the symphony, Amelie, Sissi Imperatrice, Babette's Feast, bread baking and more.
Then home to Textiles and Tea, with Santa Fe based Polly Barton, a great weaver of fine silk thread into ikat pieces. The warp and/or weft is dyed or painted to create the image, very painstaking and beautiful work.
She learned in Japan along with studying the tea ceremony, same spiritual force behind it all. At one point she was admin in New York to Helen Frankenthaler, and familiar with her sister, Gloria, who was a great weaver.
She recommends a book on ikat seen here. There's an image of her in Japan working with her teacher to organize a warp, and another of her current studio showing the hundred year old kimono loom she weaves on.
In the background is her kimono loom, a simple floor loom, demanding all the skill from the weaver.
You do get to see some amazing art-craft-artists at work! There is an account of Japanese silk weaving in Rumer Godden's book 'the house of Brede' about a convent on Norfolk, I believe. I must add the book to my re-resd pile...
ReplyDeleteI don't remember that bit in Brede, long time since I read it.
DeleteI always love your bits of advice. Always wise. Never any pressure. And no one way to “be.” Tuesdays would be a joy there.
ReplyDeleteThank you. The bits of advice are to me, mainly! Tuesdays are usually a high point. I'm glad you're willing to read in here, Mitchell.
DeleteCute bears. Such wonderful looking weaving, and I'm always amazed to see how beautiful hand made cloth is...or anything crafted by hand actually. Someone's hands created this, and they were thinking and feeling something all the while they worked on it. So each piece is a sum of much more than the materials!
ReplyDeleteYes to all that. So much spirit invested in the making, and I would love to handle the cloth.
DeleteI'm headed to pottery and we shall see if I make anything or not. I dreamed I got kicked out of the class because I was such a failure. Not a good sign about my belief in myself, is it?
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like the inner self talk of a lot of beginner artists.
DeleteKurt had it right!
ReplyDeleteWhen our grandkids visit, we always do a craft/art project together. The 4 kids range in age from 8-14 and each works diligently on the project of the day. It is shared time everyone enjoys. Yesterday I picked up one of the girls and dropped her at school. She gave me a drawing she’s worked on which is proudly displayed in our home now. It is special!
They must love that time together. Kids can make great things with the right encouragement.
DeleteI love that quote by Kurt Vonnegut. It makes sense to me. I love creating things.
ReplyDeleteAnd you're inventive!
DeleteSome of us beginner artists don't get much further than the beginning, but the joy is in the doing, right?
ReplyDeleteWhen I taught adult beginner artists, I found they hardly ever identified their strengths, too busy being concerned about weaknesses! But you do too have strengths.
DeleteThat really is quite fascinating to see that silk weaving process.
ReplyDeleteIt's a difficult and lovely weaving form. The colors!
DeleteI love the bears! The weaving looks almost mystical.
ReplyDeleteThere's great power in it, isn't there?
DeleteThis is a brilliant post. The bears are fabulous and I really enjoyed the photo of Polly in Japan.
ReplyDeleteI'll pass on the comment to the maker of the bears.
DeleteCute bears! You always have such a good time with that group of ladies.
ReplyDeleteI really love the style of this silk weaving. Truely is art!
I am thinking about making things as I unpack. Get the itch to hold a paintbrush or pen...so I watch YT videos of others painting or creating. ;)
It's been a while since you could make art, what with having the materials packed, then moved and now finally emerging again.
DeleteLove those bears! And I intend to go Friday afternoon to see that Harcourt House art exhibit you let me know about, thanks for that comment!
ReplyDeleteGreat! Pictures please. On YouTube she's Tottie Talks.
DeleteI always wondered how the weaver kept to the pattern. I thought it was in their heads. The photo underneath is a very clever idea. Clever ideas are definitely what crafters have. The bears are cute. Does she use old clothes to make them, like memory bears?
ReplyDeleteSome weaving is in their heads, some is worked using a cartoon -- the design -- attached behind the warp threads. That's how the Unicorn tapestries were made. Designers create the cartoons, weavers do the execution.
DeleteThe bears are made from shirts from a recently deceased grandfather, to give his grandchildren as a memento
I especially like that plaid bear. It's different.
ReplyDeleteShe did a great job of angling the design, too. Really nice work.
ReplyDeleteNoreen has done a blogpost about the figures in her Tottie Talks blog.
ReplyDeleteThat was to Debra, got in the wrong place.
DeleteIt's nice that the bears joined knitting group. There's always something joyful about a teddy bear.
ReplyDeleteThe weavings this time look so soft and lovely. She's obviously a master at her art.
Silk takes color so well, bright and subtle together.
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