Humboldt Redwoods 2014
In process
Artist Statement
Artist’s Statement
The pieces I weave reflect particular themes:
Nature – the natural world itself — its rivers, lakes and seashores, and its forests, both ancient and modern, temperate and tropical. Also, there are the ways by which horticulture and agriculture deliberately transform what nature provides. Rice fields and bamboo groves fascinate me, as do gardens of many forms, reflecting different philosophies and ways of life.
Travel – the places that remain most meaningful to me for unique aspects of the journey itself, and for indelible memories of a people’s culture and art. African textiles and Japanese woodblock prints are significant influences in this regard.
Photos — my own as well as others are often “jumping off points” for the pieces, providing a way to capture the essence of what is experienced. Combining and manipulating a variety of images on the computer, I create a “collage” to use as a loose guide and inspiration for the tapestry.
Color — always of central importance to the work. Experimenting with the ideas different colors can express, I use a varied palette of earth and jewel tones in equal measure.
Materials — are wool yarns, either dyed with natural dyes, or in the natural colors of the sheep from which they come.
The tapestries are hopefully a way of sharing my vision of what is interesting and inspirational in this wondrous world.
My current work as a fiber artist began early, growing up with an artist mother who taught and encouraged my interest in various fiber arts. This evolved from creating knitted “story afghans” to multi-harness weaving, and then to tapestry weaving over twenty years ago.
For the past ten years, I have integrated my tapestry weaving with natural dyeing, learning about and experimenting with many different plant materials, both grown and gathered. These I then use to color the wool yarns for my tapestries.
Articles:
Turkey Red Journal:A Journal Dedicated to Natural Dyes:
(Fall 2007). Honoring and reviving traditional dyeing skills: A Journey in Guatemala. Turkey Red Journal, Volume 13 Issue 1. Retrieved from
http://www.turkeyredjournal.com/archives/V13_I1/musick.html
(Spring 2009). Returning To Art . Turkey Red Journal, Volume 14 Issue 2. Retrieved from
http://www.turkeyredjournal.com/archives/V14_I2/musick.html
(Spring, 2012). On the natural dye trail: A few days in Luang Prabang, Laos. Turkey Red Journal Volume 17, Issue 2. Retrieved from http://www.turkeyredjournal.com/archives/V17_I2/Musick.html
(Fall 2015). The Acorn Chronicles. Turkey Red Journal, Volume 20 Issue 1. Retrieved from