Tjanpi Desert Weavers

I'd booked my ticket to fly up to Alice Springs the night before I boarded the plane, barely time to pack after a family gathering. I haven't been that spontaneous in the longest time and it was great to let go of all those things that have been bothering me all year and spend some time in the most incredible and spiritually inspiring landscape. In solitude, I found myself again.

There are a number of cultures which make use of this sort of basket coiling technique. I've luckily been taught by another inspiring woman, Maryann Talia Pau this technique for creating baskets. Tjanpi Desert Weavers have taken this particular technique and created all sorts of three dimensional objects; figures, the animals of the desert and even the humble car. An exhibition titled String Theory, at the MCA in Sydney was the first time I'd come across their work. I sat next to Margaret and wove away under her instruction, watching as she carefully inserted more raffia into the basket and wove with the ease of years of practice. I'm forever indebted.   

 Margaret and her finished basket

The MCA website has lots of great information and a few sound recordings on the exhibition String Theory, a great resource if you're at all interested in Contemporary Australian Art.

A new studio

I love nothing more than a great stack of books and by that, I don't mean a great big stack. Just a thoughtful bunch placed together. I have them all around my house at the moment. Stacks of art books and cook books, collected atlases from op shops carefully arranged with small sculptures, ceramics, photographs, road maps, gifts and things gathered over the years. My love of maps is ironic considering my distinct lack of an internal compass. I need these markers around me, these vignettes. Small reminders of wonderful events in life, the things I've read that have resonated with me, places I've been and the people who've come into my life at various times. I've been organising and teaching a workshop over at Pop Craft Studio and so I've been spending quite a bit of time tinkering in my studio among these precious things, just thought I would share them. 

New work and the importance of testing absolutely everything

In life, some lessons stick. Like never loosing your cross, an ultimate disaster in weaving. Others creep up on you and even when you think you've done everything you possibly could, it strikes to remind you to test every parameter. I had a (luckily) retrievable disaster with the printing on my most recent Luna work. Here is what happened...

I'd tested my samples (below) on an old screen but gotten a new large screen exposed. I'd used an old small squeegee for samples but borrowed a larger one from school for the final print. I'd also bought enough adhesive for one large print. I thought all would be well. It's cool, I thought - no biggy, I'm just about to print on a large woven panel that took me three days to set up and numerous cold hours to weave.

Alas, all was not well. You see, new screen with different mesh and new squeegee should have meant one final test print. But I thought, I'd wing it. I really don't know why I was playing it so cool. After all, this sort of printing means you only really get one go. So after doing quite and number of floods and pulls, I discovered the faintest marks on my weaving and empty patches elsewhere. While I washed out the screen and my heart thumped in disappointment, my helper carefully put my woven panel into the bathtub to gently wash away the adhesive. Thankfully I'd chosen a water based version.

I spent most of that weekend annoyed with myself for not going that extra mile. It turns out the squeegee was too hard for such a job and I would need to wait until Monday morning for more adhesive and a softer squeegee. On top of this, I would miss my deadline. I really didn't think it would all come together. So after drying the screen, I finally did that test and tried the copper foil you can see in the photograph above with my new screen and squeegee. As an aside, I can't wait to try the copper on lighter coloured yarns. Come Monday morning, I bought my supplies and retreated home to print after reassurances that all would be okay and the squeegee I bought was perfect for the job.        

Yes, indeed it was. Again more flooding and pulling and total relief when a strong print emerged. After about two hours of drying time for the adhesive, I finally applied the foil I had bought from a supplier in Sydney. As is the case with work that is immediately rushed to where ever it should have gone the day before, all I have is this Instagram photograph of the final work. You might also spot it photographed today on The Design Files in Suzy Tuxen and Shane Loorham's Brunswick abode. It was photographed just this past weekend by my talented friends and is now on the Significant Others website for sale. It is hung from a beautiful Blackwood hanger made by Ryan, one half of Significant Others and framer extraordinaire at United Measures. Thanks guys for including me! So what do you think?

Back in the weave room

My head was a mess yesterday. I've been mulling over how much work I need to do, instead of enjoying the process. So today, after a lovely morning tea, that is what I decided to do. Perhaps it was also that the sun came out this afternoon and I had company in the weave room. I wound this warp onto the loom on Monday. A black and white double weave warp - almost five meters long, and I've only got a few samples left to weave. I am guilty of romanticising things at times, and perhaps that is what I've done when I've been busy with work. I forget how taxing it is on your body, and how slow going weaving can be when you keep making mistakes. The plan for next week is to wind on two different warps. One in silk, and the other in linen. I've been desperate to try a warp and weft silk sample since seeing a Mina Perhonen colour and weave pleated number. It was amazing. Fingers crossed mine looks half as good.  

Gunta Stölzl

Gunta Stölzl's work has always inspired me. First a student of the Bauhaus, then teacher when the school moved to Dessau, she was quite instrumental in setting the work ethic in the weave room. I love they way she uses so much colour. Letters written by her at the time mention how inspired she was by Itten, who taught colour theory at the Bauhaus. My favourite of her work is the jacquard below. Simply stunning. Even though it is possible to do almost anything in jacquard weaving, this is still a really complex work which has probably been woven in three panels then sewn together. I wish I could weave like this.

Five Harnesses 1928

Wall Hanging no. 324, 1926

Wall Hanging Black and White, 1923

Slit Tapesty Red/Green 1927-28

Thought I would end on this much copied tapestry. It contains everything you would want to see in a work of art, rhythm, balance, beauty and of course colour!

A cushion of sorts

I thought I might start with my latest stuff. I bought some beautiful spec dyed cotton from Avril in a few colours and decided the grey would be perfect combined with a great greenish yellow mercerised cotton I found at Dairing. I had wanted to finish this (not so) little project by Wednesday but ran out of yarn as I was just over half way through warping up. So my warp is pictured left along with the 2" wide ribbon I wove for the piping. I loved weaving this. Inky navy with white Habu paper yarn as weft. Will keep you posted once I've woven the panels and sewn it together. Also in the works is a moon cushion. Kinda excited about that one.

I couldn't help but post a photograph of the yarns themselves. The white/black skein is a beautiful viscose yarn from Habu.