The word "inevitable" has been popping up in my journal a lot lately, as in "I want to weave the inevitable cloth, not the incidental". I see conflicting urges in such mutterings.
I want to improve my technical skills so I don't have to worry or spend time remedying mistakes; that's a given. I also want to know more about colors and structures and characteristics of the yarns I use. Beyond that, I eventually want the ability to create optimum color/structure/texture combinations to weave what I call the inevitable cloth. As to what constitutes optimum combination is so personal I don't know how I'll know if and when I happen to weave it/them, but I trust I can start in this direction by studying and weaving.
I've also come to believe in the existence of meta-cloths, cloths where the constituent elements meld together so beautifully and naturally that they are far more than the sum of their parts. I've seen them in workshops by Bonnie Inouye and Randall Darwall. And though people's tastes differ, there is an unspoken understanding and awe of the merit of these cloths.
I marvel if sometimes these meta-cloths come to weavers, not through hard slog, but by some divine impartment. No doubt these weavers work hard, but I can't help wondering if a certain degree of forfeiture of control is necessary to "receive" inspiration and weave such cloths. And in this way, I, too, aspire to be an agent of such fancy.
I see a change in my outlook; weaving and the cloths I weave are starting to invade my personal space. Perhaps this is what is called art-making.
After all is said, I put on another warp on the loom and will be on my merry way. I have two less-than-exhilarating dye experiment warps to go on my 4-shaft tonight, where I'll try to make the unattractive warp colors disappear.
I do show up at work, you know.
4 comments:
meta cloth.
I like the term.
Sounds like you are looking for the archetypal cloth.
I think you are in an amazing part of the world to find it!
I'm delighted you are warping your loom. The "less-than-exhilarating dye experiment warps" could be just what you need to begin ramping up your work a notch. I looked at Agnes' work. Wow! Gorgeous stuff. And I agree with her about playing. That is what we weavers are really doing---playing with color, design, yarn. And in the playing, we are also, hopefully, improving our techniques. By the way, I would never have guessed that English is your second language.
Archetypal, yes, Lynne, but not just one but many.
Peg, I think it's all the time-management courses I had to take at IBM that's making me a little play-adversed. And working methodically has helped me greatly thus far, otherwise I'd have "started" projects littered all around my house. Wait, I do have then all around. These dye experiments are part of my "use up all the already-measured warps" project. But they are, truly, honextly, ugly, Peg.
And American English IS my second language, Peg, the Mid-West version mostly. Though I enjoy writing in English far better than in Japanese, as Japanese is a language of inference/reference, and directness, especially by female writers, is considered impolite. At least that's what we learned in the convent school back in my days. I know it's a little different now, but even I find my own Japanese writing too brash and direct for my taste. Can't win...
And I'm bad at typing AND spelling...
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