Saturday, March 19, 2016

Back to Me

I've got a few more thoughts that emerged from the last trip to Japan; I'll write about them if they come out of the periphery of my thoughts but not if they want to stay there. Suffice to say I was busy, was frustrated with rampant Japanese consumerism, disregard for the environment/planet, and blind adoration for "convenience"; Japanese language's requirement for so much empty conversations; all reflecting my affinity to the simple life we made in New Zealand; loved the food and good sake but there are too few good eateries near Mom's place; nephews/niece growing up on course but siblings aren't ageing as fast as me; and Mom could use more help in her everyday life.

I've been working on that two-color warp on four shafts, wondering how important it is for me to know exactly how a piece is going to turn out before I weave, i.e. what good planning is, vs. how spontaneity/randomness increase the joy of making when it works well, and how that joy shows up in the finished product or my perception of it. And the makers' ego against modern day Aestheticism.
Take the latest sample piece, in which I tried rather many colors in many different treadling, not clarifying borders with marker wefts. (The colors are less white, but never mind.)
Compare that to the first piece I'm weaving where I decided on one treadling alternating with its inverted version, and a rough color scheme, (four greens,) in amongst which I'm inserting few chosen colors based on a vague principles.

I find the second boring, so much so I inserted a narrow strip of orange in the front with a different, short treadling; Ben likes the orderly Japanese look. What I like in the sample are mix of gradual and sudden change of hues/values, the complexity subtle change in values create. I like the variety of similar but different treadling. I think I even like that the changes of colors don't coincide with the change of treadling and vice versa. But I think the best thing is that the sample has so many colors and the color/treadling size vary. Random, in other words. Which is where I may go in the second piece, though I don't know if I'll mix different-sized yarns in the weft; certainly not the different fiber contents, which will reduce my choices. And no bouclés because they obscure the pattern too much. At least that's the non-plan for now.

2 comments:

  1. disregard to environment and planet scares me Meg.... are we all that shallow

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    1. Bear in mind most folks I hang around with are Mom's friends, so at least over 60 for the most part. But I'm always dismayed by the automation of everything, (one might go to the loo and not turn on/off lights or tap and not flush as the loo takes care of it all,) the perpetual overpackaging especially of food products like it's still the 70's/8-'s, or the ritual overgiftgiving for that matter. Grassroots folks trying to change things, particularly with not producing and reducing rubbish, appeared to be in the main in their 40's on the telly and I have little contact with that group, but what was really alarming was kids, who in your average developed world know and care far more about the environment, seem to merrily carry on and widen the love of "convenience" such as disposable and individually-packaged stuff and the automated environment where everything works by sensors, that they trust the system to create an adequate environment. Yikes, they now build luxury apartments with walls in the strangest places so it's a given half the house never gets sunlight, but that's OK because the whole building has 24/7 air circulation? It's like living in a giant airplane!

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