Warping up for more than one project.

When it comes to warping up I tend to be a good planner, which ultimately allows me to be a very lazy warper. 

As my warp is set at at a pre-determined set on each of the 3-4 different looms I work on, I am able to make use of this personal propensity towards short-cutting through the boring bits. Because I use up-right vertical looms with the capability to wind on metres of warp without too much bother, it makes sense to warp up for several pieces at the start. I weave the most urgently needed weavings first, just in case I need to remove one of them before I have finished all the pieces that follow after them as I make my way through the warp. In other words if I need to remove tapestries before I get to the last ones I planned to weave, I CAN cut off the ones I've done if I need to, then re-tie on the warp to the front beam, and continue weaving the other pieces. Of course this means I will waste a certain amount of the warp, so it is very rarely that this happens. 

Here below is an example of 4 separate weavings that shared a wider warp. 

Note the spare warps between each individual weaving.

The 2 tapestries below are shown here being woven side by side sharing the warp. Note the unused warp threads between the pieces. These weavings were preceded and followed by another wider weaving on the same warp above and below them. In total, this warp-up was enough for me to weave 4 individual works on it.

Creative Fibre Festival 2012 Marlborough

Here are the dates for the National Creative Fibre Festival 2012 in Marlborough. The team down there has set up a blog site that you can visit. Go to  http://fibrefestival2012.blogspot.com/   to find out all you need to know about their planning and activities thus far. The blog also has a link to their face book page if you would rather follow what they are doing that way.

The emphasis of this festival is to Interest, Educate and Inspire no matter what area of the fibre arts your particular interest is in.

The National Festival runs from 12pm Thursday 26th to Sunday 29th April 2012 and will be held at the Marlborough Convention Centre in Blenheim, with the Exhibition on display at the Millennium Public Art Gallery.

The Selection Process

Black & white photo.

The selection process for portrait design is reasonably straight forward. The original photos are sorted through to determine which one has captured that special quality that best describes the essence of the sitter.

The photo is then adjusted to give the aesthetic that the client would want to live with within the context of other interior design requirements. No matter how good the image or how well mastered the weaving is, if it fails to represent the interior space it will  be hung in, then the whole exercise will have been futile from a design perspective.

Finished weaving.

There is always a change in detail and intensity when the image moves from one medium to another as seen here when comparing the photo top left, and the woven portrait at right.

The size of the weaving is usually associated with cost, however it is best to predermine what the client is prepared to pay before the photo is adjusted. At that stage the image can be striped back further to simplify the image and thus require less weaving time. Other cost reduction considerations could be the cropping of the image. One should never under-estimate how much of the person is held in the image of say just the eyes or a partial profile.

Grass Roots

I have recently enjoyed two weekends of inspiration and support. The first was attending the N.Z. Professional Weavers Seminar at the St Francis Retreat Centre in Auckland, where my work and professional attitudes were acknowledged by the very fact that I was there. The second was spent relaxing with my local small group of Spinners & Weavers at Orua Bay near the southern entrance to the Manukau Harbour. I enjoyed a rare opportunity to play with dye pots and managed to felt a small handmade gift without too much purpose.

For anyone working with fibre, I highly recommend both. There is a genuine passion at both ends of the spectrum to encourage and share knowledge and wisdom, blended with a natural wish to acheive a high level of craftsmanship.

This special psyche extends across countries and borders, and was proven during a recent trip I took to visit family living in Australia last November. With a little bit of forward planning, I was able to visit the Hervey Bay Spinners & Weavers, where I gave an inpromptu presentation of my work during the show and tell session. I was received with much interest, despite their own business and routine being interrupted... and they insisted the spectacular afternoon tea was not in my honour. For me, keeping in touch with the grass roots craft-artists movement is most comforting.

Ahhh.... The beautiful Coromandel. What better place to have gathered up the kids and moved to.

With quartz crystals in the foothills towering over you and the sea surrounding you, always in the background, where ever you go.

If you have never been to Coromandel it is one of the most beautiful places north of Taupo to visit. Take an adventure up the Thames Coast road to visit a community packed to the rafters with fellow artisans. Check out the Annual Arts Trail if you can, which runs Fri-Sun over 4 consecutive weekends during late summer. Participating artists have their studios open, and it is a fantastic way for children to see and learn about art in the making.

Work on the loom

Finished portrait

Work on loom

This woven portrait "Evad" won the Creative Fibre - Gisler Architects Award for Excellence in Artistic Design, when it was exhibited at the Creative Fibre Experience 2009 in Hamilton last year.
Working with what appears to be a predominantly black and white colour palette is a challenge for all fibre artists, and this piece was no exception. It measures approximately 1.3 metres by 900 cm. and took about 90-100 hours to complete; from the first stage of photo adjustment for the weavable design through to its final readiness for hanging.




Portrait Weaving in the making... Note the original photo above the weaving. This is used by the weaver as constant point of cross referencing while the work is being woven on the loom.