Hey all,
Hope you're having a good start to the week. I know, I can't believe it too, but you're receiving (2!) newsletters in the space of a week from me. Pretty unheard of!
Creating emotion
As promised, I'm updating you on my latest little experiment. It's taken a little while to get going with it, with life admin and all, but I'm happy to say that I got there!!
To be totally honest with you, I kind of didn't really know what to think of it when I finished the piece. I felt a bit repulsed, confused, a little uneasy. I then stepped back and realised that me feeling those emotions was exactly the point of trying this experiment out. I wanted to create a woven piece that made me feel something, a work that wasn't flat and wasn't just a rectangle.
The result was quite an odd but interesting piece. The design is based on what people have said to me and over me in the past, the memory of it and how those things made me feel afterwards and make me feel now. It came from a place of shame and worry. I won't reveal exactly what the phrase was, as I think it might give too much away. It's probably the most personal work I've made in a long time and it's been good to challenge myself in that way. Even sharing close up pictures like here makes me feel pretty vulnerable. I find that I'm sometimes not quite happy with experimental pieces at first, but then when looking back at them, there's a sense of experimentation and freedom that's unrefined that interest me more after some time passes.
Plus, the work itself feels like it has a bit of a personality of its own, like a body part or an alien skin. I like that about it.
Plan is to continue with this for the next week or so and see where it takes me.
Backstrap Loom Kit vids
Another focus of my studio work right now is writing Backstrap Loom Kit video scripts. I've been enjoying finding other people backstrap weaving online and seeing how they use it in their practices, but it's been interesting seeing there's not many of us out there! It's so niche. I also realised that not many people use backstrap looms for tapestry weaving. So that made me feel excited! I can't wait to start filming these and share them with the world when I'm finally happy with them.
In the meantime, if you're interested in purchasing a Backstrap Loom Kit, they're available here. Once the teaching videos are ready, you will receive a special life-time access link to them.
Commissions
And a last little thing! I'm open for commissions and have some available for the next couple of months. If you're interested in a bespoke piece (all sizes welcome!), just drop me a line. I love collaborating with people to make something special, so just let me know what your thoughts are and we can work something out.
That's it for now! As always, thanks for reading.
Catch ya soon,
Alex x