Artist Statement:
I have always been influenced by tapestries from the past, especially those woven in Europe during the Middle Ages, the rich textile tradition from the Andes and the Coptic weavings created in Egypt and surrounding areas. That influence can be seen in my use of pattern and specific weaving techniques employed by those early weavers.
My most recent tapestries reference historical textiles more directly through the incorporation of borrowed patterns, motifs and/or details. The excerpts are combined with each other, and with other image sources, such as drawings or photographs, to produce a layered image in which the different components are merged together into one blended image. The collaged and layered image is created in Photoshop.
Tapestry is a form of weaving, the interlacement of two sets of threads in an under over, under over fashion. I use cotton seine twine for the vertical threads (warp). I use a variety of materials for the horizontal threads (weft), including wool, cotton, silk and metallics.
The design for “Wander” is a collage that includes details from an Andean textile showing a pattern of Brockett deer, a photograph of rocks, a drawing of birds in fight and a pattern from an Eastern rug. The various components dissolve in and out of each other. The diagonals in the rug pattern and the flying birds suggested the title “Wander,” which I incorporated into the tapestry.