New growth

The 1st of February, St Brigid’s Day, Imbolc, marks the beginning of spring in the natural calendar, and on that day, it did feel as if there was indeed a perceptible lightness in the air, the earth was beginning to stir with life, and the birds were noticeably singing more enthusiastically. Each day now, the lightness advances, day length increases and the dark days of winter are receding. Momentum grows as we move out of the dark and into the light. The cycle of nature moves on.

Ebony, jet, obsidian, onyx, raven, charcoal, inky black: working in monotone

In January I was approached to weave a number of highly textural, raw pieces for use as decorative pieces in a wabi sabi style house, that would honour the memory of the fire damage sustained to the house. After discussions with the lovely lady who commissioned this work, we found the perfect mix of materials and I spent much of February bringing these pieces to fruition. I am truly touched to be entrusted with this project, and the finished work is now winging its way to California. I love undertaking commissions – the challenges they provide and the discoveries I make along the way are invaluable to broadening my experience. A well as making another person happy along the way! This series of work is entirely in black hues, and so I was able to concentrate exclusively on the materiality. A mixture of cotton, linen, hemp and wool with steel is used as the warp and the weft comprises lambswool, British wool, and painted paper that is either torn into strips or cut into strips in a paper shredder. The labour intensive process results in a highly textured surface, but with stability in the fabric. If you would like to commission a bespoke piece, please do contact me; I’d love to hear from you!

Studio view

My loom has been taken up with the black wabi sabi style weavings, and on my work table the painted papers mix nicely with a woven wool sample from a couple of years back. On the studio wall, some recent mixed media collage and woven newspaper pieces from last year.

‘Air’: new work

Simultaneously to weaving, I also make mixed media collage work, monoprinting, painting and drawing as part of my process. It helps me to consider the colours and textures I want to combine and gives me inspiration for new woven pieces. I’m delighted that one of my new pieces ‘Air’ will be available at the Kunstuitleen Voorburg to borrow or buy, and will be on show from 25th February as part of the VERSE VERF exhibition.

Newly available cushions

Four cushions woven in British wool, and other mixed wools have recently become available, and are now listed in my online store LiminalWEAVE. These highly textural cushions are in muted mossy greens, sage, greys and charcoal. This natural palette was inspired by the lichens and mosses on rocks on the Scottish west coast. The backing fabrics are either a matt satin sage green or grey velveteen fabric which complement the handwoven fabrics.

OBJECT Rotterdam 2023

As part of Rotterdam Art Week, OBJECT Rotterdam fuses craft, design, art and architecture in the wonderful HAKA Gebouw on the Vierhavenstraat (four harbours street). This coming together of creatives, new and established, is a real inspiration and a highlight of the year for me. This year’s offerings didn’t disappoint, with and explosion of colours and new ideas. Below are some of my favourites. Take a look at my Instagram for links to some of the studios and creatives mentioned.

Minim.aal at Icoon gallery, Hoek van Holland

The exhibition ‘Minim.aal’ at Icoon is housed in the truly stunning brutalist architecture of a bunker from World War II, part of the Atlantic wall defence built by the Germans to defend the coastline from attack. The distressed and textured concrete tells the story of time, and the exhibition complements, and is complemented by, its surroundings. I spent a good couple of hours here as part of the Rotterdam Art Week, when it was possible to meet the curator, Helma, and some of the artists to talk about their work. Very insightful.

New yarns: my paintbox

My yarn stocks were getting low on some colours, so I’ve just received a big order from Uppingham yarns, suppliers of the lambswool and British wool spun in Yorkshire by Z. Hinchliffe that I use for my handwoven scarves. I’ve also recently purchased some beautiful Lithuanian linen, which I’ve used in the commissioned wabi sabi style decorative pieces. New to me, the Lithuanian linen is of premium quality and comes in a rainbow of different colours and 1- to 4-ply. I conservatively ordered black and natural tones, but will definitely be ordering more colours in the future.

Thank you…

…so much for your support. Your kind words, follows, likes, commissions, purchases and recommendations spur me on to keep creating and pushing my work to new levels and in new directions. Thank you for joining me on my creative journey through the seasons. 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.

Looking forward to seeing you again in late March,

Veronica

Letting in the light

“When work is made with threads, it is considered craft; when it’s on paper it is considered art.”

Anni Albers

I’d like to think that things are changing, thanks to artists like Anni Albers, Magdalena Abakanowicz, Shiela Hicks… the list goes on. Textiles are functional, nonfunctional, decorative, ceremonial, they hold memories and emotions. Every piece I make has an impression of me left in it. Using materials with history, vintage, waste and unwanted materials, I’m trying to give that material value and integrity whilst maintaining its integrity, giving hints to where it came from. I hope that this year will see more people moving away from the ‘disposable’ attitude toward textiles, and value them for their beauty, their tactility, their practicality. “Buy less, choose well, make it last”, as the inspirational Vivienne Westwood said.

A new woollen throw

For the first time, I’m able to offer larger pieces such as throws, woven on my small (50cm wide) loom. The lambswool throw pictured below measures 125x160cm, and was woven using a multi-layered technique which came off the loom folded like a concertina. It was a real sense of achievement to discover that my experiment had worked when I was able to unfold and open up the piece once it was cut free of the loom! If you would like to commission a bespoke piece, please do contact me.

New woollen scarves

After the winter break, I’m always keen to get back to my loom. I’m longing to feel the yarn between my fingers and to lose myself in the rhythmical passing of the shuttle back and forth. The first new warp of the year was a wool one, using up to 20 different colours and a variety of yarns. Combining thick and thin yarns and some synthetic and cotton ‘fancy’ yarns gives interesting textures and pops of colour.

Anni and Josef Albers at the Kunstmuseum, The Hague

“Circumstances led me to thread, and they won me over.”

Anni Albers

As is my usual style, I visited the beautifully curated exhibition of work by Anni and Josef Albers at the Kunstmuseum, The Hague, in the very last week of its’ showing. I’m so glad I made it, as to see the two artists’ work side by gave a real insight into how intertwined their lives and art really were. As Anni Albers aged, she found the physicality of weaving hard to maintain and so she turned to graphic work, which really held its own alongside Josef Albers’. It was Josef Albers’ book Interaction of colour that informed my fascination with colour, and I am still captivated by it to this day. As a weaver, the way colours interrelate can be the make or break of a woven piece working. Some colours side by side will make each other pop… others will suck the life out of each other. Such is the challenge of weaving.

Guiseppe Penone at Voorlinden, Wassenaar

“The tree is a spectacular creation because each part of the tree is necessary to its life. It is the perfect sculpture.”

Guiseppe Penone

I love trees; I always have. Throughout my life I’ve had favourite trees that I’ve come back to, to walk around, to visit through the seasons. So Guiseppe Penone’s exhibition at Voorlinden was a real treat for me. The artist brings to life the world that is a forest, a living, breathing organism, made up of many individual parts that work together in perfect harmony:

“I feel the forest breathing, and hear the slow, inexorable growth of the wood. I match my breathing to that of the green world around me, I feel the flow of the tree around my hand placed against the trunk.’

On the loom

I’ve just recently started working on a very special commission – I was approached to weave a series of decorative pieces that will be used as table top textiles in a wabi sabi interior style house, a house that has been fire damaged in the Californian wildfires of 2022. It’s a real honour that I can be a part of the owner’s journey to making the house a home again, whilst paying homage to the house’s recent history, the scars and burn marks. The brief is to work in black and highly texturally, and I’m enjoying using the structures of the yarns to full effect. Working in one colour is quite liberating, as I can concentrate simply on the materials and how they work together. I’m intrigued to see how these pieces turn out.

Process

Part of my process is to work on paper using collage and mixed media art techniques. This allows me to play with colour, texture and form. A new palette is emerging in these early dark days of the new year. Fresh greens and soft dirty pinks sit side by side. The forms are reminiscent of the beachcombed pebbles and pieces of driftwood found last year on the Scottish island of Kerrera. More organic, plant-like shapes are creeping in, and the use of negative space is important.

The value of craftsmanship

I currently have collection of cushions with Draumr, inspired by the Scottish coastline and woven in organic GOTS certified Italian spun Echos alpaca and organic wool. Draumr’s curated collection of craftspeople showcases exceptional Dutch craft, and is part of the move toward informed purchasing, knowing who made your item, how they made it and the provenance of the materials; the story behind it. This trend is currently building in momentum around the world, as people move away from cheap mass-produced goods which are easily discarded and look to the skills of artisans to put value into their purchases, giving them longevity and integrity.

Thank you…

…so much for your support. Your kind words, follows, likes, commissions, purchases and recommendations spur me on to keep creating and pushing my work to new levels and in new directions. Thank you for joining me on my creative journey through the seasons. 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.

Looking forward to seeing you again in late February,

Veronica

Reflections

“I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape – the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn’t show.”

Andrew Wyeth

In this quiet time, as the old year draws to a close, the days begin to lengthen once again. It’s a transitory time, a time to look forward to what 2023 has in store, but also a time for reflection. A time to recover and restore, ready to begin afresh in the new year.

“The most ethereal forms belong to winter; hers is the beauty the leaf has when substance and sap are gone and only the frail white outline belongs. This is the best time to learn the proportions of things.”

Mary Webb

I’ve selected an image from each month of 2022 as an overview of what I achieved in my creative practice over the past 12 months. My work has broadened and deepened, reflecting a more thoughtful way of working, in the materials used and the execution of my craft, as well as the items I make, ranging from fine art textiles to new handwoven throws.

2022 – a year in review

January

Test samples for zevenxweven exhibition in April, new yarns and new scarves

February

Weaving of pieces for zevenxweven exhibition; mixed paper. linen, hemp and synthetic yarns in the warp and paper in the weft

March

Commissioned scarf in vibrant browns, oranges and blues using a simple linen weave

April

Zevenxweven exhibition at de Katoendrukkerij in Amersfoort

May

Lighters scarves woven with a linen warp and lambswool and silk weft

June

Fabrics for interior textiles inspired by pebbles found on Gylen beach, the island of Kerrera near Oban, west Scotland

July

Handwoven map of the Pennine way with three-dimensional elements interwoven

August

Time off in Iceland, leading to new colour inspirations and scarf designs

September

Handwoven smaller paper pieces using newspaper to refelect the topical issues of this year

October

Handwoven ‘remnants’ scarf made using up waste warp ends from previous warps

November

More three dimensional weaving using layers and double warp set up on the loom

December

Commissioned throw woven using multiple layers on the loom

Thank you…

…so much for your support throughout this year – for your kind words, follows, likes, commissions, purchases and recommendations. Thank you for joining me on my creative journey through the seasons. 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.

Wishing you all the very best for 2023,

Veronica

Darkling days

It’s almost mid-December and I’m catching up, writing about November. A busy time in these darkling days of late autumn. Finishing off experimental weaves using a double warp – each warp separately tensioned – has led to some interesting new work. Weaving the vintage maps into the warp is painstaking, and I’ve been letting the materials speak to me. This combination of paper and raffia has potential, but I’m letting it rest so I can decide how it needs to be presented. I’ve also been working on a commissioned throw, opening up a world of possibilities. And I am inspired by the large woven sculptures of Magdalena Abakanowicz, seen at the Tate Modern in London.

On the loom

At the beginning of November I was commissioned to weave a throw to accompany a set of cushions bought from me last year. I’ve always avoided weaving such a large piece, as I didn’t think it would be possible on my small loom. However, this time I decided to give it a try, following a hunch on how this might be achieved. Using a four-layered weave structure I was able to weave a piece 150cm by 190cm, which shrank slightly when washed to 130cm by 180cm. My experiment worked, and the throw is now on its way to Vermont in the USA. It still amazes me that my work finds its way around the world. Below you can see the sample woven to test out the weave structure, the selection of yarns used, and the resulting throw. The colours are inspired by the rocky shoreline of the Isle of Mull; the weave structure and colours are planned but the patterns are a result of happy accidents when threading the heddles in a random way. I prefer to work in this intuitive manner letting the materials and chance play their part. Sometimes the results can be magical. With a lot of mistakes on the way. As ever, this commission has taught me a lot, pushed my boundaries and broadened my horizons.

Weaving simultaneously with two warps

Setting up the loom with two separate warps tensioned onto the two separate back beams on my looms enables me to create effects with structure and dimensionality. This body of work began with a simple sketch (below left). I rarely have a definite idea of what my finished piece will look like, and this brief sketch was just the jumping off point, allowing me to plan how the warps would need to be set up and the widths and threading pattern to acheive this effect. The pieces have been woven and are awaiting framing and hanging.

Magdelena Abakanowicz at the Tate Modern

A brief visit to London gave me the chance to jump on the Thameslink from St Pancras to south of the river and the Tate Modern. This has to be one of my favourite galleries. Huge, imposing and brutal, its interior, the turbine hall, is vast. Currently running until the 21 May 2023 is Magdalena Abakanowicz ‘Every tangle of thread and rope’. Having crowbarred my rucksack into a tiny locker, I set off to see what this exhibition had in store for me. The gallery attendant in the lift told me it was very ‘warm’ and I can’t agree more. Walking amongst Abakanowicz’s huge creations was like being inside an enormous living, breathing organism. Rich dark colours glowed with an animalistic life.

Interestingly, I felt very drawn to her earlier works. Smaller (although still large) mostly rectangular tapestries woven in two dimensions. Seeing her collages and sketches for the weavings really brought her process into focus. She says:

I am interested in constructing an environment from my forms.

I am interested in the scale of tension that arises between the various shapes which I place in space.

I am interested in the feeling when confronted by the woven object.

I am interested in the motion and waving of the woven surfaces.

I am interested in every tangle of thread and rope and every possibility of transformation.

I am interested in the path of a single thread.

I am not interested in the practical usefulness of my work.

Magdalena Abakanowicz, 1971

Colour inspiration

Once again, November hasn’t disappointed with its vibrant colours. The smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria) in my garden turns the most stunning purples, oranges and pinks, tempered by the softest sage green. Each year I look forward to its wonderful display.

Studio view

The cold autumn sunlight finds its way into my studio at unexpected times of the day, reflecting off nearby windows, and the yarns glow on my shelves. The light at this time of year is very special, inspirational.

Thank you…

… for joining me on my creative journey through the seasons. 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.

Layers

Starting with some new pieces using paper weft and linen, cotton and hemp in the warp, I’ve been using a double warp set up, something that I’ve not tried before on my current loom. I realise that I’ve not been exploiting the full potential of my loom, which has a double back beam to accommodate two separate warps, and this has set my mind to work on new designs and structural forms. These first three pieces (above) are made using vintage papers and natural fibres, and I’m looking forward to seeing what else can be achieved. In my next blog, I’ll have more photos and an explanation of how this technique works, and hopefully many more woven pieces exploring the different effects.

On the loom

As you can see below, having two separate warps facilitates the weaving of layers and their interlacing. With 24 shafts, I can also weave different patterns across the two separate warps; similarly, two completely separate fabrics can be woven.

Remnants scarves

A project I’d been itching to attempt for some time now is the using up of ‘waste’ warp threads, the small section of warp at the end that can’t be woven, as weft in a new warp. Now off the loom, the result is two unique and intriguing scarves; the first is woven in a mixture of charcoals, greys and ecru, and the second (shown top right below) is in a warm palette (and has already gone to its new home in France). Click on the image if you wold like to see the grey scarf in my shop LiminalWEAVE.

Textile bienniale at the Museum Rijswijk

Every year I look forward to the alternating biennales, paper and textile, held by the Museum Rijswijk in Rijswijk, The Hague. This year was the turn of the paper biennale; the theme of Transition reflects the time of change that we currently live in, where there is talk of a paradigm shift, and resistance in society is increasing. Change is in the air, but we don’t yet know where it is headed. Transition is an international exhibition with 20 contemporary visual artists working primarily with paper. The emphasis is on the visual and substantive quality of the works.

As usual, this exhibition didn’t disappoint. Beautifully curated, the works shown below by Layla May Arthur, Bea van Der Heiden, Anita Groener and Arno Kramer are just a small selection.

The exhibition runs until 13th November, so if you’re in the area you still have time to go and I would definitely recommend a visit (Paper biennale 2022, Museum Rijswijk)!

Open studios: de Spanjaardshof, The Hague

Also a favourite outing of mine that takes place in early October is the open studios event at de Spanjaardshof ateliers in The Hague, who open their doors as part of the Open Ateliers Den Haag. This year, I particularly enjoyed the work of Elizabeth van Vreeswijk, Anna Rose Regenburg and Jurjen Ravenhorst.

Anthony Gormley at Voorlinden Museum

Anthony Gormley has long been one of my favourite sculptors since experiencing the haunting ‘Another place’ at Crosby, UK. The retrospective exhibition ‘Ground’ at Museum Voorlinden in Wassenaar, brought together work spanning Gormley’s career, from his early lead sculptures to new installations that were custom made for Voorlinden.

In his words: ‘Sculpture is no longer a medium of memorial and idealisation but a context in which human being can be examined. Sculpture is no longer representational: it is an instrument of investigation and questioning. I have called this exhibition Ground to make this open invitation of sculpture clear. Without the viewer there is no show, without the gallery there is no context. The joy of this kind of exhibition is to allow the richness of the context itself to become activated by sculpture. For me, the body of the viewer is often the activating principle in a ‘ground’ of contemplation: the works become catalysts for awareness and grounds for physical and imaginative inhabitation.’

As well as occupying internal gallery space, the works extended out to the beautiful grounds of Voorlinden; a walk in the woods would result in a chance encounter of one of Gormley’s cast iron (iron because ‘this is the element that brings oxygen to our blood’) figures in a natural environment. It was fascinating to see Gormley’s sketches and to read that he begins each day by sketching.

Studio view

Working with paints on paper, card and found materials, I can easily explore how colours and textures interact with each other using collaging techniques. The pieces on the wall (left) are small collages inspired by the pebbles I collected on Gylen beach, Isle of Kerrera in Scotland earlier this year. I also have some new vintage maps sourced from my local antique shop in the UK. The colours and lines on the Himalayan trekking maps are a great inspiration (right), and a selection of materials waits for me as a prompt to my next work on and off the loom.

Thank you…

… for joining me on my creative journey through the seasons. 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.