Borders in Tapestries: Julia Mitchell
In researching Borders in Tapestries, and choosing images for the blog posts, I learned I would not be a very good Curator. It’s been a little like that potato chip ad- seems I can’t choose just one.
That’s what happened when I looked at Julia Mitchell’s work. I wrote and asked for permission to use a photo on my website and she graciously agreed and asked which one… I thought , well, um - yeah - which one?
I chose some favorites and put them together on a document to decide. Days went by. I went back and looked at them, took one out only to add another. In the end, I decided to write an entire blog post around just her work and share with you here.
Even as I write this and compile the images, I find myself wishing I’d included others, like Hills of Grass II. So please do visit her website.
What I love in Julia’s work - or more specifically her use of borders - is the variety. From the seemingly simplest ribbon effect in Blue Seaweed to her more complex Cave Painting series.
As I look at her images, I realize I’m drawn to them not just because the subject matter resonates with me, but because of the strong sense of movement. There’s a rhythmic quality to her work. And her borders enhance that movement.
Julia Mitchell, Blue Seaweed, Wool, slik, and linen, 48" x 30", 2017
In Grass Scroll with Dots 2, I find myself asking… Are the dots a part of the border? Or is the border the Blades of Grass along the edges? It makes me take another look. For a second or two, my mind thinks the grass shoots at top and bottom might be warp threads - but then my eye sees the same marks along the sides. A border within a border which mimics the movement and imagery of the central focus.
Julia Mitchell, Grass Scroll with Dots 2, Wool, silk, and linen, 50” x 30”, 2006
We see very different applications in these two pieces from her Tree Trunks series. In Tree Trunks, the border appears more as an actual frame, giving the central image focus and space, room to breathe, and drawing us in.
Julia Mitchell, Tree Trunks, Wool and linen, 60"x72", 2001
Tree Trunks with Orange Border gives the impression it would have a solid orange border. But that “orange” is layered with texture reminiscent of the grasses that might be blowing behind. (I also especially love the way the two trunks in front step outside the border.)
Julia Mitchell, Tree Trunks with Orange Border, Wool, silk, and linen, 48” x 36” 2013
The border becomes yet another image in Italian Cypresses II. A tapestry within a tapestry. But it’s more than that. Looking closer, we see the orange circles repeated in both the “border” and the central image (again, the rhythmic movement).
Hills of Grass II (not pictured) has a similar quality. The grass in the foreground border overlaps the central image and the grasses in the central image continue into the border.
Julia Mitchell, Italian Cypresses II, Wool, silk and linen, 68"x68", 2005
Julia also has a series of Cave Weavings where she uses the transparency effect for the borders, creating a border without a solid boundary - more a merging of multiple imagery.
Julia Mitchell, Cave Weaving 3, Wool, silk and linen, 42” x 96” 2016
But I have to say - my favorite is in the Edge of the Pond series. These pieces just pull at my heartstrings. Seemingly simple … but not.
Edge of the Pond 6 leaves me speechless… the curve and fragmentation… does that not also serve as a border?
Julia Mitchell, Edge of the Pond 6, Wool, silk and linen, 51” x 29” 2015
If you’d like to see more of Julia Mitchell’s work, do visit her website. There is also a wonderful online exhibition curated by Micala Sidore of her pieces on the ATA website. You’ll discover for yourself how difficult it is to choose just one!