Window on Weaving, Part Two

Last week I wrote a post about the online tapestry exhibit “Window on Weaving”, curated by Mike Wallace and currently up for viewing on the British Tapestry Group’s website. The physical exhibition was recently held at Haslemere Educational Museum in May of this year. The online format is unique in that it is presented with relative size variation as would be seen on a gallery wall.

I shared some of the pieces I responded to at first viewing in that post. There were too many to put into one post, so this is Part Two.

Aruna Reddy, Cracked

Aruna Reddy’s tapestry, Cracked, struck me because I have been looking at a lot of artwork involving Lines for my Elements class. One of the many exercises I suggest in the course is to look for lines through a small viewfinder. Lines like cracks in the earth. I absolutely love the lines in this piece.

See more of Aruna’s work on the BTG website.

Sarah McLean, View from Juggs Road, South Downs

Again, the swirling nature of those lines caught my attention in Sarah McLean’s tapestry, View from Juggs Road, South Downs. It made me want to look closer and in doing so I discovered that, on the one hand, part of the lines are woven eccentrically and the steeper and wider ones are woven more traditionally with steps. I love the contrast between the two methods.

See Sarah’s updates on Instagram.

Jill Garrett, Ganymede

Jill’s piece, Ganymede, grabbed me for the isolation of that circle off center in the vast area of black - and the layers of texture packed into it. Based on a Hubble photograph of Ganymede, she’s created a variety of texture with wool. I would have guessed there was a mix of fibers in this piece; some of the textures appear to be shiny! Glistening even. But, in fact, it is wool on a black cotton warp.

Claire Buckley, Circle

Here’s another circle loaded with texture in Claire Buckley’s piece, Circle. In Claire’s words, “Circle uses color and textures to build thoughts and feelings which swirl around each other.”

I am especially intrigued by the placement of that strong vertical dark (green?) line!

Visit Claire’s website to see more of her work.

Hilary O’Connell, Perspective I

Speaking of intrigue, that’s what most likely drew me to this piece by Hilary O’Connell. She commented that she intentionally does not suggest much in her titles so that viewers can discover their own interpretation. The optical illusion sucks me in.

Hilary’s work on the British Tapestry Group website.

Suzanne Osborne, Tsunami

The colors are so rich in this piece, Tsunami, by Suzanne Osborne that I wasn’t surprised to read that it was inspired by a painting she had done earlier. It’s one I just keep coming back to. It’s a beautifully abstracted rendition of what I would imagine to be the spirit of a Tsunami. Lots of great textures in this piece, too, some of which are achieved by the combinations of fibers she’s chosen.

As I said last week, do go look at the show.

Find those that resonate with you!

Kennita TullyAugust 8, 20212 Comments