I know that one of the things an artist must do, if she is to remain an artist, is to be challenged to do something she is not sure she can do, at least occasionally. I have had a rough winter; family and personal illness and pain, lots of company. etc. It was definitely the 'winter of our discontent' - one I'd just as soon not repeat. It left me feeling like not much of an artist at all, as the best I could do was an occasional sketch in my sketchbook, which is not a challenge, but a necessary survival thing. (Oh, and I did do The Sketchbook Project! I'll post a link to that soon, as it's being digitized for their website.)
So... a challenge was in order! I decided I would weave a tiny 'sketch tapestry,' (which I have done before) with limits set on myself. My limits were that I would weave it on my little Hokett-style loom, so it would be portable. The sett on that loom is 8 warps per inch, or even a bit less. So weaving a detailed, very small face is a BIG challenge! I wanted to be able to color blend the background, so the sett was perfect for that. But when I got to the actual face, I found I wanted more warp. Actually, I needed a finer sett to get the facial detail I wanted. So I added an after-the-fact supplemental warp to double the sett in the face area. I have to tell you, I was loving not knowing how this would turn out! That, I believe, is an artist's delight: creating something that you really don't know that you can create - whether it is a success, or not. (Of course, it's best when it does succeed!)
Here is the woven face. still on the little loom. The woven area, not including the hems at top and bottom, is 5 3/4x 5 3/4 inches. You can see my supplemental warp. I was pretty happy with the result.
The tapestry, plus a pile of other tiny 'sketch tapestries,' sat for a bit in the studio. Then I decided to
do something with them. So I
blocked them all, and yesterday I mounted and framed three of them, hoping to find a place for them someday soon.
This is in a 6" frame, mounted on linen. The title for this is "Let It Be."
This is the silly little goose I did, also on a Hokett-style loom. (I have to say "Hokett-style," because I purchased a Hokett loom, but there were some things I wanted to be different on it, so I had my wood-worker husband make me a few more, for myself and grandkids, with adjustments made: mostly, more depth between the back 'handle' and the weaving area, so I can weave more detail and get my hands and fingers in there more easily.) This tapestry is about 6.5 x 5.25 inches in an 8x10 frame, again mounted on fabric.
This is another little sketch tapestry, called "Lost Tooth." It was also woven on the same loom, but at the original sett. It is about 4x4 inches, in a 6x6" frame.
I am ready for another challenge now. I wonder what it will be?
