Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Surface?

I've been seeing a lot of books, workshops and talk about surface design, mostly with dyes/paint and chemical discharge. They appear, at first, so easy, so free, so spontaneous, and so attractive. These pieces have such an immediate appeal to many, and therefore I can understand curators giving them more exhibition space.

Part of me wants to delve into it, (I've done some pictorial screen printing, and embroidery,) part of me thinks I'm being unfaithful to weaving. Like, I'm shallow. Like, I myself don't understand the understated appeal of my kind of weaving.

Life seemed a bit more cut and dry, and therefore easy, before seeing Clare Plug quits, I swear.

4 comments:

  1. Your conversation with yourself is my conversation last year! As you know, I took the plunge. And no, it's not as easy as it looks!

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  2. Thought you might have, Connie. And no, good surface design is just as hard. I still have either/or mentality, because I would hate to "hide" handweaving behind what I think of as fancy blobs of paint, which is about all I've tried so far.

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  3. I'm also very puzzled, conflicted, uncertain about the discrepancy between what I like to make vs. what I like to look at or am tempted to buy/collect.

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  4. That discrepancy is a difficult one to reconcile. But there is some weavings you have been tempted to buy/collect. Darwall for one..........

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