Veronica Pock | Handwoven textiles

Into high summer

The hedgerows are full, the cow parsley is billowing, and the fields are full of buttercups. There’s a sensation of motion, of being propelled into the full heat and vigour of summer. My allotment is full of weeds, which seem to grow at twice the speed of the crops, but many of them are so pretty and attracting to the bees that I’m always forgiving and leave some for the insects.

Lots of new scarves

May in the weave studio was very industrious. I’m already thinking ahead to autumn and winter, and weaving lambswool scarves to replenish my depleted stocks. Erring towards greens, but also a warp of vivid pinks and oranges, I hope these new scarves will brighten someone’s grey winter days in the coming year. I’ve also woven two batches using linen warps. The first batch shown in the first four images below uses a natural ecru mix of linen in various thicknesses. The scarves are fairly narrow (21cm wide) but long (almost 200cm), and so would make a great addition to a summer wardrobe as they are light and cool due to the high percentage of linen. They also hang beautifully and have a wonderful sheen. The second batch of four uses a black and grey warp including linen, cotton, and ecological recycled yarn, and comes in vibrant oranges, browns and autumnal tones, using lambswool and Shantung silk in the weft. These are warmer as they have a higher percentage of wool in their make up. Finally below are four 100% lambswool scarves. These are brightly coloured in pinks, oranges and browns, and I’ve played with twill and English tabby in the weaving patterns.

The pictures below show the difference in texture between before and after washing the linen/wool mix scarves. On the left, the linen is taught and stiff; on the right the wool has softened and expanded and the linen too has gained a liveliness through softening.

Something new…

Sometimes I disappear down a rabbit hole of investigation and experimentation. An idea pops into my head and I need to pursue it. And that it what happened this month. Let me explain…

I love jewellery, and the more unusual materials, shapes and forms the better. For a long time now, I’ve been mulling over how to incorporate woven textiles into jewellery pieces in an unusual and contemporary manner, and recently the pieces of the puzzle fell into place for me. Having woven some small samples with unusual and fragile materials, such as paper, I have used these together with wood to produce a series of brooches, pendants and earrings inspired by the forms of the pebbles I’ve collected and sketched over time. Below you can see my design process, and over the next few weeks I will be finishing these new items and making them available to buy. I would love to hear your comments. So far, the response on social media has been very positive.

This month I also enjoyed a timely visit to the Sieraad Art Fair in Amsterdam. This was a perfect opportunity to see how contemporary jewellery is an art form in its own right, pushing the boundaries of materials and forms used as jewellery to adorn the body. Truly inspirational and definitely worth a visit again next year.

Exhibition: ‘houdbaar venieuwend’ [sustainably innovative]

The exhibition ‘houdbaar vernieuwend’ (sustainably innovative) ran throughout the month of May at @kunstuitleen Voorburg. The works on show included some fascinating pieces made by artists working with recycled and repurposed materials, including two of my woven works. ‘Himalaya I’ (top right) uses handwoven vintage trekking maps and raffia, and ‘Compilation VI’ (bottom left) uses cassette tape from the 1980s. The final piece ‘Air’ (bottom right) is a collage on board, one of my works available to borrow or buy from the gallery.

Studio view

On the loom at the moment is a mixed warp including extremes of thickness and texture. Thick jute yarns sit next to extremely thin cotton/steel mixed yarns, and glimmering gold synthetic threads abut thicker matt linens. It’s a challenging warp to weave, as the tensioning is tricky to maintain, but the results are so satisfying. The first piece shown below uses an honeycomb weave over 24 shafts, and this piece will become a wall hanging. I’m also making some more work with cassette tape, and plan to try out some multiply layered pieces. Watch this space!

Thank you…

…so much for your support and for joining me on my creative journey through the seasons. Your support and interest really does make a difference. If you’d like to see more of my work and inspirations, I post regularly on Instagram @veronicapock and my work is available online at LiminalWEAVE on Etsy and Saatchi Art. I also have a mailing list; if you would like to keep up to date with latest events and updates you can join by clicking here.

Looking forward to seeing you again in late June,

with warmest wishes, Veronica