Late July
I have returned from the breezy and rainy Appalachian mountains of Kentucky to the humid and hazy Ohio valley, and I'm not sure which set of weather I like better. It has been a busy month of projects, displays, and a intense week of weaving at Berea College in Eastern KY.
This Saturday, 7/18, is my "Artists' Reception" at the Woodshop in downtown Canton from 6-8 PM. The woodshop is a local craft brewery on walnut and 4th street that is housed in the same building as Deli Ohio and Mike's Pizza. I created new pieces for this show as well as some reproductions of previous work as canvas and aluminum prints. The work has been on display this month for patrons, and this Sat. I will be there in the evening to celebrate the show. Stop by if you are in town!
This month was also special because I was able to travel to Berea, KY to work in the Student Crafts building. I took my first weaving class with Erin Miller, the textile director at Student Crafts, and it is always great to have someone around who knows so much about weaving. I have missed being in a group studio environment where people help talk through problems and give you specific feedback. The staff at Berea and even in the town itself are all so friendly that it immediately feels like home.
The studio is equipped with some of the biggest man-powered looms that I have ever seen. Many of these were older looms that the faculty and students have re-designed and tweaked over the years to make the process of weaving more streamlined. During the school year, the students work on production weaving; making blankets, placemats, and yardage for other useful items. I was lucky to be able to stay in the "Craft House" which is the school's property across from campus. The craft house is fully outfitted with furniture, quilts, woven goods and brooms from Student Crafts. The quality of everything that comes out of the student crafts building is amazing, and I wish I could furnish my home with these goods.
Most of my time was spent weaving! I got to use a large, 24H AVL Loom nicknamed "Big Al". I had an interesting time dressing this loom, as there is no clear way to pull the yarn through from the back, and I ended up having to disassemble some parts to make it accessible. In the end, however, the ability of the computer dobby loom to change structures on the fly really allowed me a freedom to weave whatever kinds of cloth I wanted in a short amount of time. I got about 6 yards of white/ off white cloth from my weavings and I intend to dye them using some different processes to make them into some new artworks. Some of the structures I borrowed from Handweaving.net, and some I created myself using the fiberworks software. It is always a surprise the first time I weave something with a complicated structure like this, I don't know how it will come out, and what parts of the cloth with shrink or expand!
On my last day, I took a really nice hike through the hills, and was able to see almost to Ohio from the top! The trails around the Daniel Boone forest are more wild than what I am used to up here, and I definitely saw a lot more wildlife. I also had dinner at the Boone Tavern's new "Crafted" restaurant, where they have a great collection of artworks done by students from the college.
My photographer friend Mal was able to take some photos of the fence with me, and I wanted to share a few with you as well. I love how the light shines through the intersections of the fence at sunset.
Just a quick reminder that I will be in the studio August 7th for First Friday! I will let you know more as it happens. In the meantime, stay cool, and I hope to see some of you at my Artists' reception later this week!