Contemporary Weaving in Mixed Media E-Book

Rachna Garodia

• Herausgeber: Batsford
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 80

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

This glorious book is a modern guide to weaving, an ancient craft that is reaching new heights of popularity, from acclaimed contemporary weaver and textile artist Rachna Garodia. It contains a wealth of practical advice and tons of inspiration for every aspect of this endlessly adaptable craft, from gathering materials to making and exhibiting ambitious woven masterpieces, bringing in a wide selection of mixed media. Meditative and calming, a session at the loom is a great way to relax, and create something beautiful in the process. And you don't need expensive equipment: you can start your weaving journey on a small wooden frame or even a piece of cardboard, and it's now easy to book time on larger looms outside the home. The book includes: - Choosing a loom, from the simplest small frames to sophisticated table and floor looms. - Design and planning: taking inspiration from the natural world, sketching, photographing, making moodboards and exploring colour. - Gathering materials: from natural straw, grass, flowers, feathers, bark and seedpods to more traditional yarns and threads and even paper and photographs. - Personalising your work by incorporating well-loved old fabrics and precious sentimental items. - Unusual techniques: weaving with photographs or directly onto handmade paper, three-dimensional sculptural weaving, non-loom techniques such as looping and netting.Gorgeously illustrated with work from the author and other artists from around the world, this book is an engaging and beautiful introduction to weaving for established textile artists or those coming to the craft for the first time.

Leseprobe

In this inspirational book, acclaimed weaver and textile artist Rachna Garodia reveals the secrets of her weaving practice. Well known for her richly textured, evocative woven pieces, often incorporating flowers and foliage, recycled fabrics and found objects, here she explores ways of finding ideas, collecting materials, planning a design, and executing her weaves, using a wide range of techniques from simple weaving on paper to working on large floor-based looms.

In chapters arranged around the concept of contemplative, mindful walks, Rachna takes you through several key sources of inspiration and ways of working. In Woodland Walk she explores gathering and incorporating materials from nature such as leaves, grasses, flowers, bark and seed pods, while in River Walk she discusses the profound influence of flowing water on her work. Walk Through the Seasons explains how the creative mind can take inspiration from every season to create stunning pieces of work, and Daily Commute introduces the notion of meditative walking, and weaving with photographs to create quirky, disjointed images. A Walk Down Memory Lane shows how to draw deep on your memories and use special objects and fabrics to create work that is meaningful to you, and finally Walk With a Poem in Your Heart showcases woven pieces inspired by great literature, some using books themselves.

Gorgeously illustrated with work from the author and other artists from around the world, this book is an engaging and beautiful introduction to the joys of weaving, both for established textile artists and for those coming to the craft for the first time.

Low Tide (detail). Handwoven, incorporating driftwood and twigs found on a river walk.

CONTENTS

Introduction

1 Woodland Walk

2 River Walk

3 Walk Through the Seasons

4 Daily Commute

5 A Walk Down Memory Lane

6 Walk With a Poem in Your Heart

Weaving Basics

Resources

Acknowledgements

Index

INTRODUCTION

Weaving is a craft I have trained in, practised, honed and admired for over half my life. I am still learning and refining my own work as I continue to grow as an artist and develop my practice. This book is not a ‘learn how to weave’ book; rather, it is an exploration of my own textile practice that is intended to provide inspiration. I focus on my inspirations for these works, revealing how the natural world is my muse, accomplice and mentor.

Walking – through nature especially – is an integral part of my creative practice. I do my best thinking when out on foot and find it a natural, effective way to distil mindfulness into spontaneous ideas. The poet Wallace Stevens sums it up well:

‘In my room, the world is beyond my understanding

But when I walk I see it consists of three or four hills and a cloud.’

Each chapter is a visual diary of my creative process: gathering and preparing materials; drawing; photographing; and making mood boards. This ultimately leads to pieces of textile art created with various loom and non-loom techniques, which I will share.

In some chapters, I have included a textile to examine, to consider how it has influenced not only me but the wider textile world. I find that we are always shaped by what is around us as well as what came before us. It is thus important to look closely at ancient weaving, for instance, to really appreciate the value of a high-quality piece of work and to understand the techniques, artistry and craftsmanship that went into it. Our creative forces today are built out of the past, with a contemporary approach and ideas.

With this book, I am pleased to share my inspirations, my process and my work. I hope my story will spark ideas and inspire and encourage you to go on your own journey, whether you are a beginner or a more experienced weaver. Learn the language of your local wild flowers, birds and trees; surround yourself with the riches nature so generously bestows on us.

Landscape, handwoven screen, 71 × 97cm (28 × 38in), framed. Cotton, jute, rayon, sisal on a nylon monofilament warp incorporating dried wheat pods.

Woodland Walk, 98 × 103cm (38½ × 40½in), displayed on the loom. Handwoven, incorporating willow, cinnamon and bark with wool, linen and cotton yarns.

My work is informed by observing the natural world: it is constantly changing, yet still. My initial impetus to create has always come from nature, and I often go on long walks to spark my creative process. Being among trees – gathering, collecting and pocketing fallen leaves, twigs, seed pods and bark – helps create a refuge from the chaos of the outside world. The internal quietness I experience when among trees is really important for me to focus on that ‘nameless something’ bursting to be formed.

When I say ‘woodland’, I do not necessarily mean a forest – or, indeed, that you have to have a studio in the woods. I have always lived in cities and my ‘woodland’ has always been the closest green patch I can find, whether that is my garden, the trees along the pavements around my house, or Richmond Park, which is close to my current studio.

In 2006, when I moved from Mumbai to London, I was amazed to find such a different world of flora and fauna. I fell in love with the little flowers bursting on pavements and brick walls. Dandelions, daisies, buttercups and herb Robert were my first friends in England. Armed with a wild flower and tree spotting guide, I befriended London plane, oak, poplar, magnolia and gingko. Knowing these trees around the neighbourhood made me feel happier and more at home.

Gathered materials prepared and matched with yarns.

weaving in progress in different stages incorporating the found materials.

weaving in progress in different stages incorporating the found materials.

Try to gather inspiration from the environment around you, however urban or rural it is. A garden patch, an overgrown roundabout, a few flowerpots, or a sea front, rocky hillside, wild moor or field of rapeseed – all of these environments, tiny or vast, can brim with life and beauty. Tune in to your surroundings: be mindful and use your imagination.

INSPIRATION FROM NATURE

Sometimes a single leaf can move me so much with its beauty – a continuous lesson in colour blending – that I’m filled with a sense of abundant possibilities and can’t wait to get working in the studio. All of my collected objects, such as leaves, twigs, seed pods, cones and acorns, are added to the curiosity table in my studio. Found objects placed together in a meaningful arrangement take on a collective significance, expressing the wideness and wonder of this world, and helping my imagination and creativity to flow.

It is important for me to photograph, draw and sometimes print my findings, as these found objects rapidly change colour and texture. Although I love to observe and record these changes, sometimes I just want to preserve the memory of a leaf exactly as I found it, and a photo or a sketch is the best way to do this.

My ever-growing collection of pressed flowers and leaves is like a bank of inspiration, perfect for when seasons turn and I need a feel of spring in winter to proceed on a project. I use various types of traditional flower presses for pressing leaves and flowers. A DIY version – two pieces of hardboard with layers of leaves between blotting paper with weights on top – works fine too.

Bark is fascinating as well. Apart from helping one to identify tree types, especially deciduous trees in winter, the distinct textures are absorbing: the wispy, ribbon-like strips of the silver birch, for example; the deep ridges and cracks of the English oak, or the smooth bark of the beech tree with ‘eyes’ that seem to follow you. Pine bark flakes off in plates, and the bark of London planes has beautiful camouflage patterns, made more attractive when wet with rain. I especially love lichens and moss on bark. I have a large collection of plane tree bark covered in vivid lichens.

Inspiration table showing a collection of sourced and gathered materials from several walks.

Journal incorporating birch bark collected on a walk as inspiration to develop a natural colour palette for future weaves.

Windy days are particularly good for collecting pieces of bark. The top rule of collecting is to pick what’s on the ground, never directly from the trees, as that would harm them. After cleaning the bark, I usually press it down with a heavy weight to flatten it as much as possible, especially if I want to incorporate it in my weaves. If the pieces are too dry and curled up, I spray them lightly with water to make them supple, then straighten them out gently before pressing.

Seed pods are a personal favourite. Nature’s ingenious packaging keeps the seeds safe from predators and allows them to travel easily on the breeze to pollinate far and wide. The raw beauty of these marvels never ceases to amaze and inspire me. I don’t think I could ever see enough magnolia pods, with their bright seeds popping out slowly against the grey London sky, while the brown seed pods from locust trees make a frequent appearance in my weaves. I gently open these papery pods to reveal the seeds nestling within the shiny interior, which acts as a beautiful contrast when paired with natural yarns such as cotton, linen and wool.

Detail of a weave using seed pods, birch bark and other natural materials in combination with wool, cotton, rayon and linen yarns.

GATHERING MATERIALS