New band striking up, and cotton

I'm about to weave the band I originally had in mind when I thought about this whole bandweaving idea. I now have more knowledge and skills and I'm hopeful. 

Sorting the warp threads after deciding on colors 

The heddle threaded and ready to mount on the loom.  This design is a Sami traditional one. You'll see.

These bands aren't exactly for anything other than the experience of making them, and if they develop a use that's fine, but it's not a goal. They can just be. 

I'm studying the great fiberartist Anni Albers just now. I was able to get her classic book on hoopla, and it's brilliant.

She talks about the intersection of art and engineering in textile arts, and how we're lacking in opportunities to experience texture, in a predigested world full of images and readymades. 

She taught at Black Mountain College, in the 1940s, as a Bauhaus proponent, after she was obliged to escape the Nazi regime in Germany, along with her husband. What a powerhouse she was in art.

She experimented with weave structures, unusual materials and had great respect for the ancient textile artists of Peru and other civilizations. 

Originally a painter, she was forced into the fiberarts by the sexism of the contemporary painting world, denying her opportunity, and her own physical disability limiting her movement, and she triumphed. The fiberarts world gained a genius. 

Meanwhile, speaking of fiber, my cotton plants are doing well, soon to go outside, a couple promised to another gardener. 

She grew cotton last year and I got the cotton bolls from her, but the seeds I harvested are doing better than hers this year,so I'm giving back.

Happy day everyone, grow all the things or get them from your friends.

Back to the fabric book

It's the summer solstice, midsummer's day 

The freecycled art leaves tomorrow, and it's created a rush of energy for my next artwork. It never fails. Move out works you've moved on from, and ideas come crowding in. When you hang onto things, it's like a cork in a bottle. Pop the cork, champagne, bubbles!

And freeing up space does the same. Here's my treefree living room 

 I've been thinking about the next page in the fabric book, mainly about deconstructing a piece of fabric I was given, in various ways. I've had I dunamany ideas about it, including this kind of approach, a MOMA tutorial.

As you see, there's a history, Anni Albers being a leading light of the Bauhaus, then at Black Mountain College in its glory days. Anyway, this feel, but I want it less gridded.

pulling threads is something I've loved ever since I got hold of fabric to do it with, and when I learned drawn thread work at about eleven. It's playtime, but now with more meaning.

So here's the starting point

And we'll see!

Happy day, everyone! Art is hard, hugely important and the best fun. Maybe you'll do some. Or some more -- several blogistas are talented artists.  I particularly like it when blogistas with their own blogs share their work and process. Thank you,  everyone who does that. And thank you, the faithful readers who are happy to encourage.

Textiles and Tea, Sock Ministry, Face check

Today's Textiles and Tea featured Angie Parker, a rug and blanket weaver, originally from the North of England, Manchester, to he exact, now living in Bristol UK. Very appropriate guest for international women's day. 

She's fearless, running her own weaving business specializing in rugs and wall hangings, teaching and committed to  color as you'll see. At one point she spent time designing theatre costumes including circus ones, one of which she's modeling!

She loves the work of textile artist Anni Albers, of Bauhaus and Black Mountain college fame. 

From the groundbreaking designs of the Bauhaus, to history:  Angie's making original rugs and blankets on a table loom in Bristol, where the first bed covers were woven back in the 14th century.

The blankets came about during the first Covid lockdown when her exhibit and commission work halted, so she developed a beautiful wool blanket, a  product that local people could afford and wanted. 

She points out that lockdown and working from home meant people had money normally spent on travel and entertainment, available for home decor.

So the blankets did well locally in Bristol, whose brightly painted houses suggested the design. Also influenced, I'm guessing, by Josef Albers' design studies of color and the square shape.

Both Albers were teachers of my mentor Maggi Johnson at Black Mountain.

Angie is a bold designer, rarely testing out ideas on paper, though there's one example here, but much more likely to design directly onto the loom. This stuns the artists of the methodical plan and execute school of weaving.

One slide shows her surrounded by the contents of the studio disposed of by weaver Jason Collingwood when he gave up weaving. You can see her color sense will take on this huge stash and create wonders.

If she hits a design problem, she doesn't unpick, but solves as she goes, by changing the next decisions to compensate. She's a very painterly worker.

Also a fun speaker, very honest and unsparing with herself and not taking herself seriously. Her work, yes, herself, not so much. 

Here she is

The time was too short to contain her energy. 

If you're unfamiliar with Anni Albers and Josef Albers, check them out. Hugely influential in American fine and applied art, Germany's loss after the Bauhaus artists had to flee Nazism in the 1930s.  

They taught at the experimental Black Mountain College; many American artists studied there and went in to spectacular careers in the art world. Both of them had huge exhibits,  at the Guggenheim and MoMA among other galleries.

If you check them out you'll see their influence on Angie Parker's work.

Meanwhile back on earth, the Sock Ministry is tripping along, socking the patriarchy, one sock at a time

And here we are.

Happy day!