From Near and Far

We do a bit of traveling every now and then. Often I come home with botanicals from far away places.
This botanical weaving has plant materials from right outside our front door, from nearby trails where we hike, from a kiwi farm in Canada, and from a small town in southern India.
I started weaving it just after we returned home from India, where I spent the “time out” that I wrote of in my previous post.
Time off gave me time to rest, to regroup, to think about what I do, and how and why I do it.  Time to reflect on my life. Precious time....
As I was weaving this piece, I was remembering the warm people we met on our trip, the warm people in our life here at home, the lush, beautiful landscape we were immersed in there, and the diverse beautiful landscape here.
Weaving has always been a metaphor for me, of the connectedness of the myriad elements that combine to make our life what it is.  People, places, all that brings meaning and worth to my life.
This weaving is no exception.  It has contrast, harmony, diversity, and

overarching sense of unity.

“From Near and Far” will be on display at the Borrego Art Institute “Earth’s Elements” Show from February 1-23.  23”Wx28”L.  $315

Time Out

This month I’m on sabbatical.
The botanical weavings for my first show as a featured artist, which deadline is early January for the February show, are now finished.
I will write up the remaining narratives for a journal to accompany the exhibit, a kind of catalogue for the show, when my “time out” is at an end.
Meanwhile, here is a peek at the namesake for the show, “Chaparral Dreams”, which opens February 16 at the Mission Trails Regional Park visitors center.
Chaparral Dreams includes more than twelve different California native plants.

Twigs

Often I am astonished at what lies underfoot...the spread of leaves in dappled sunlight, a soft cushion of damp earth after a rain, the crunch of fallen twigs while the wind rustles through branches above me.
Twigs! I’ll weave twigs!
And what an array of twigs I found over the course of a week!  Their colors, textures, and even their scents astonished and delighted!
Here’s what came of my joy in discovering the beauty of twigs:
(3.5”x30”; $95)

Time to catch up....

greetings!
I’ve been neglecting my blog in favor of my loom, so it’s time to catch up.
I’ve got more botanical weavings than ever before, as I’m gearing up for another show in February.
More about the show later....
If you would like to keep up with each piece as it comes off my loom, please check out my Instagram posts at kathleencook6777
Here’s an overview of what I’ve been weaving, pictured in the following order:
Moonlight and Sage 15.5x34” $285
Where the Rabbits Run 21.5”x25” $375
Chaparral Melody 30”x30” $245 (sold)
Sage Feathers 9”x15” $185
Chaparral Dreams 23.5x31” $315
Beyond Summer 26”x34” $470
Chaparral Bling approx 11”x11” $145

Enjoy!

EAP West Coast Fiber Art Show

The opening reception was lively and the artwork diverse. Our friend Skip was awarded first place for his gorgeous rug (I forgot to take a picture of it!!!) Here are a couple of photos from that evening:

A Really Big Show....

Dear Friends,
SUMMER TRIPTYCH (see post of August 4), ANCIENT PATTERNS (previously untitled; see post of March 26) and MOUNTAIN MAHOGANY (recently completed, see photos below) are part of the West Coast Fiber Arts Show opening this weekend at the Escondido Arts Partnership Community Gallery on Grand and Juniper in Escondido. escondidoarts.org
24 artists are participating, and I am grateful and honored to be one among them.
Mountain Mahogany is a prolific shrub of the Chaparral, found in altitudes ranging from about 2,000” to 6,000”. We are fortunate to have a few of them on our hillside, and Joel brought some cuttings to me one afternoon, thinking that I might want to weave them. Yes indeed!
Here’s a closeup of the cuttings, a peek at me working the fringe, and the finished work:

Summer Triptych

Greetings at the height of summer!  Keeping a balance of activity and rest is trickiest for me when temperatures sway between the 90’s to the 100’s these days, but fortunately I find cool time in the pool and in my studio.
After I cut off my first triptych, I had just enough warp on my floor loom for another small one.  I decided to re-set my sett and doubled up the warp yarns to make the width narrower, since I knew I couldn’t weave much lengthwise.
Aiming for a simpler motif, I succumbed to the lure of the last of the sunflowers adorning the shoulders of our roadway. I picked as many of them as were still blooming, and then gathered soft feathery branches of artemisia (commonly known as California sagebrush).
How my studio was drenched in the scent of the Chaparral for that week of weaving!  It was heaven to my senses!
The three little botanical weavings that came off my loom can be hung horizontally or vertically, with or without the optional cord I attached to each one.  As of Friday they’re hanging vertically at 2Create Gallery in Ramona.  “Summer Triptych: Sunflowers and Sagebrush”.
 I forgot to measure them before I hung them, but my guess is that each one is approximately 10”w x 12”l, without the hanging cord.  $420 for the triptych; $155 if purchased individually.  
50% of the sale of all my botanical weavings is donated to the California Chaparral Institute.
Here’s the pics:

Enjoy these sizzling days of summer, staying balanced in Nature’s cycle of rest and activity.