Alongside, I have been developing forms through weaving and sketching and through carding sheep’s ‘ hair’ – or fleece (Figure 4). Once spun, this fleece or hair forms strong and flexible yarn which can be used as the Warp in a new weaving (Figure 5).
As a starting point, I have begun to look at my own life using initially the pages of a concertina sketch book. Alongside notes and photographs some of which I have cut up and used as weft strips in weavings, I have taken a large 1 m x 1 m canvas which explored ideas of transitions from different stages in my life. I then cut this up to form a narrative over one entire side of the concertina book parts of which can be seen in Figures 1, 2 and 3. I found this a helpful process to begin to inform the overall work I will be developing. A series of reference points with words to mark specific times and values. Following surgery for cancer, I am deeply interested to see what happens when we allow ourselves to be cut and reformed in ways often way beyond our control. I wanted to explore this idea through the cutting and reforming of a large canvas. Alongside, I have been developing forms through weaving and sketching and through carding sheep’s ‘ hair’ – or fleece (Figure 4). Once spun, this fleece or hair forms strong and flexible yarn which can be used as the Warp in a new weaving (Figure 5). Using fleece from different sheep gives a wide variety of naturally occurring tones from white through cream to dark brown from Jacob’s sheep fleece (Figure 6). An example of woven fleece in a variety of colours from a previous project is shown in Figure 7. ~Jacqui L
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Over the coming weeks I will be adding other words and photos to give emphasis to different life stages in the concertina book. I see this ‘blue print’ as my own reference chart. I also will be continuing to card and to spin wool in preparation for a larger weaving. This weaving will be formed of Warp yarns which will emerge from transparent acrylic tubes – rather like scientific samples – and then be woven together to form a bigger piece. These tubes have been purchased from the art supplier Seawhite alongside a larger plastic tube in which they and the finished larger weaving will be kept.
I will be sharing progress with Thornhill Art Group and on the website over the coming months. I look forward to seeing work by a number of people, following the visit to the Microscopy Suite at Portsmouth University in April 2013. Do contact me if you would like to find out more about this work. ~Jacqui L I am developing some ideas through weaving and sketching which I hope will lead to some finished pieces later in the year. Broadly I am pondering how the things that are important to us, hold us and enable us to be the people we are called to be. Using weaving and sketch books I hope to explore these concepts in respect of this exciting project reflecting the microworld. I am currently interested in the WARP threads in a weaving - the ones which are stretched across the loom or frame top to bottom to hold the WEFT threads - and thinking about them in terms of the things which hold us in life as individuals. In my case these are things like - family, home, God, creativity as examples. Abraham Maslow (1954) uses a helpful model which I reproduce here from http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html. I hope to refer to this hierarchy in my creative work. The original hierarchy of needs five-stage model includes:
1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep. 2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, limits, stability. 3. Belongingness and Love needs - work group, family, affection, relationships. 4. Esteem needs - self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility. 5. Self-Actualization needs - realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences. ~Jacqui L Visited Thornhill, taking photos of the area, some of which may be used for this website/reports etc. ~James
The first draft of the report, for RMS InFocus magazine, detailing the progress of the project so far has now been completed. This will be distributed to artists for their input tomorrow. The submission deadline is 31st March. ~James
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