Veronica Pock | Handwoven textiles

The rich tapestry of a summer meadow

The summer solstice is behind us now and the sun finally seems to have arrived here in The Netherlands after a cold wet spring. My studio is filled with light, the colours glow and shadows dance on the walls.

True summer has been a while coming this year, but I first felt it had really arrived when, a couple of weeks ago while in the UK, I came across a wild meadow. The grass was high and there was a huge variety of different plants: birdsfoot trefoil, buttercups, ox-eye daisies and, most noticeably, hundreds of common orchids forming a stunning sea of purple spikes washing over the gently sloping hillside. The grasses rippled in the breeze and in the surrounding hedgerows, a pair of magpies was busy with their young.

On the loom

Most recently, I’ve been working with a warp of blues, greens and greys in cotton, linen and hemp, natural yarns with some synthetic metallic yarns to add a subtle glint that catches the light, combined with spun paper and jute yarns in the weft. Working in my favourite large-scale honeycomb pattern, I’ve created a series of wallhangings in blues and aquas, with some contrasting rust and burnt Sienna paper yarns. All the colours of the earth metals: ultramarine, blue lazurite, blue ochre, cobalt and cerulean; all the colours of a summer sky.

The wall hanging ‘Blue lazurite’ is available to buy here.

Studio view

My studio shelves are filled with yarns in all sorts of materials and colours, full of potential, and the walls and surfaces are covered with textile samples, collage works and finished pieces. At the moment, the loom is ready with a warp set for a new project, awaiting the arrival of a batch of paper yarn from Paperphine. This is part of an exciting collaboration with ceramicist Babette uit Babylon. More to follow soon…

Available now: handwoven wool cushions

Ochre, rust, umber, ecru, sage green – all are combined in this collection of handwoven lambswool scatter cushions currently available on LiminalWEAVE on Etsy. Each is unique and unrepeatable as I’ve used handspun wool yarns, organic wool and Alpaca, and Scottish wool spun at the Ardalanish Mill on the Isle of Mull.

We Make: a new platform by makers, for makers and appreciators

I recently joined the online community of We Make, a worldwide collective of makers and appreciators united in their passion for fine craftsmanship. I’m looking forward to seeing how this initiative develops. In the words of the founding members: 

“As makers, we want to connect with the people who support our best work. So, we’ve built an online community space for sharing and discovering that we hope will also connect us more deeply.

Following the way of craft, the We Make experience is managed by people, not algorithms, and is designed around beautiful objects, meaningful interactions and getting work into people’s hands.

Started by makers, refined by the community”

You can join the community by going to the We Make website here.

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 summer,

with warmest wishes, Veronica