Happy New Year
This is usually the time of year when my friends, many of them artists, start to reflect on their progress or themes in their work over the past year. I have always had a hard time thinking of years in calendar terms, because my school year stops and starts in the summer months. This is a natural period of rest of me, and I have time to let my ideas incubate.
2025 started, as many years do, with the leftovers of the previous one. I had a piece in a show in Pittsburgh, I was in the process of making new promotional stickers, and I had collected the the remaining pieces from my show at the Massillon Museum. I also was able to give a wall hanging for my newborn niece to hang in her room. I was very ready to take a break and just make some things on my own.
In April I turned 40, and and was able to celebrate with a really fun show at 78th Street Studios in Cleveland. My fashion designer friend Stephen and I mixed textiles and fashion in a fun way, and I was able to weave my favorite houndstooth pattern. Collaborating in this past year or so has opened me up to different ways of working, and challenged how I talk about my work to other people. Often times what I think people are seeing when they look at my weavings is very different than my intentions. Working with other people and having conversations about the art helps me to see through their eyes, and gives me new perspective.
In the summer I started a new series of works in paper. I have always enjoyed paper as a material, and I have woven with it before, but never to this scale. A client reached out and asked if I could make her a big piece with acrylic rods. Through some trial and error, I started to think of ways to use paper instead so that the piece could be more lightweight but still have a presence. I was so inspired using the big sheets of paper that I cut more and created 2 other compositions to go along with the first. This is a "waffle" structure that makes big diamond cells in the cloth. I really like using this structure when I want the piece to make a big statement and be more three-dimensional.
Later that summer I designed some more studies with crescent shapes, intending to practice some skills in shifting the dyed weft yarns. I am not sure I like how these pieces came out, but it was fun taking them to the Mainstreet Modern Market in September. I was able to interact with more clients, sell some artwork, and even sell some vintage pieces that my friends donated to me.
I was really blessed with commissions this year. The Kent State University Museum asked me to make several pieces as gifts for the donors of their "Dazzle" gala fundraiser. I was asked to focus on details from the museum's architecture as well as the idea of dazzling and sparkling. I wove the pieces with wool, and naturally gold silk that were dyed to create this vibrating pattern.
To finish out the year I made a lot of coasters. I like making coasters as a way to do samples of patterns, colors, and structures that I want to try. I make them so that I can still have something useful when I'm done, and they also sell really well. These samples will hopefully give me some ideas and inspirations in 2026 as I continue to weave.
Thank you for following me on my weaving journey this year, through period of thinking and planning, but still a lot of making. I hope that this year brings another period of creativity and renewal for all of us. Happy New Year!