Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Tactile joy in art

In every art form I've encountered, and that's quite a few, there are pleasures in handling the materials that don't relate to design or decision making, but to process.

In monotype making, that wonderful feeling of pressing out the image under your hands. In painting it's taking off the edging tape around your watercolor so you see a clean sharp edge. In crochet it's the acrobatics of the hook. And now I've found a new one, in weaving with a continuous warp.


 This part is hidden now
And this is today

It's when you roll on the work on to the cloth beam, see what I did there, Mittens,  to make space to continue.

Your earlier fabric is now hidden in the roll, and you tighten up the warp threads again  to continue. That turning motion is great. And the sense of storing away the earlier work.  There's a literal sense of forward movement that you don't get with a fixed type warp. It feels important.

Collateral features!

6 comments:

  1. I'm smiling. It's magical, isn't it, making fabric...

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  2. Am I your proxy weaver until you get your loom set up?

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  3. Getting joy from your art is definitely a big reward. Weaving isn't in my future but that's only because I simply don't have the space to add more stash and equipment, but I'm enjoying reading about your adventures.

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  4. You don't need equipment! Pieces of cardboard, knitting yarn, big eye needle.. you've already got the tools..not that I would be trying to persuade you or anything. Far, far, far be it from me!

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    1. Sorry - but I'm resisting mightily! I just enjoy living vicariously through you.

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    2. I weave so you don't have to, huh?

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Thank you so much for commenting! it means a lot to me to know you're out there and reading and enjoying.