I have hinted in my newsletter about the next big weaving project I have planned. Early in the new year I will start Watershed. It will be a little more involved than the Haiku series. It is more complex in the sense that I will hands on with the production from beginning to end. I will be spinning all the wool for the tapestries, and dye it before weaving with it. I have already picked up some fleece to spin over the winter months to try to gauge how much I will need for each tapestry. The wool will be a mixture of Blue Faced Leicester and Dorset from flocks right here in New Brunswick!
As much as I enjoy working in small format, the Watershed tapestries will be quite a bit bigger than the 10 cm x 10 cm Haiku tapestries. For me, the artistic concept determines the size of a weaving. I don't really feel that mini tapestries will capture what I want to convey with this series. Working in with a larger scale will allow me to portray an overall view, as opposed to having the viewer step into an intimate space to interact with a piece of weaving. This time the viewer will have to step back to experience the individual pieces.
Another series inspired by nature, Watershed is influenced by the waterways I have come to know while hiking the Fundy Footpath, a 64 km trail from Alma to St. Martins. I am fascinated with the way the water course from inland NB shapes the rocky coast of the Bay of Fundy. There are several waterways that empty out into the bay along the footpath. These locations are beautifully rugged and untouched. There are waterfalls and tidal rivers. They are interesting areas where fresh water meets salt water. These environments are forever changing with the push and pull of the powerful tides. The general layout of the land carved by the impact of flowing water.
Every time I hike into one of these areas, I observe and take note of the fluctuation in rock, water and land. I sometimes have time to make small sketches, or sit and watch the river water rise with the incoming tide. I mostly take photos and try to envision what this place looked like a thousand years ago.
I am looking forward to progressing with this new series. It will be the first time I use handspun yarn as my weft. I plan a cosy winter with a lot of spinning in front of the fire, and probably a bit of a learning curve as I embark on a journey of weaving tapestry with handspun.
