Moth: The Final Weaving Project

Our final weaving project was an open one. I chose to revisit tapestry (my first foray into tapestry was in my first semester). The image of the moth in light came from Holy the Firm by Annie Dillard, which I first read ten years ago. There are many passages within that little book that have stayed with me. One the most striking involves a moth that flies too close to the flame of a candle. Her wings burn and shrivel and her abdomen is caught upright in the candle's wax. The abdomen is hollowed out by the fire, but holds the flame. What is left of the moth burns as a second wick until she is blown out, late into the night.
So, this tapestry is an attempt to capture part of that story. It is 9.5" x 8.5". Woven with cotton warp and wool, silk and other unknown fibres in the weft.



The golden-tan wool was dyed using arbutus bark. The greys was dyed with arbutus and then dipped in an iron post-mordant. Arbutus is a tree native to the Pacific Northwest. Incidentally, they are plentiful on the Pacific Gulf Islands were Annie Dillard wrote Holy the Firm.

Hey, Crochet!

In my 3-D class we were given an assignment to learn a technique, create a project, and teach a workshop on this technique to the class. Our workshop was "Crocheting Around Things" and it was very fun. I stuck to crocheting around things I found about the house, while my partner in this endeavour, Stephanie, went farther afield. Stephanie has embarked on an ongoing public crochet project. In the back alleys, phone booths and construction sites of Vancouver, Stephanie is leaving her mark. And for the life of me, I cannot get her pictures to load into this post. So you must to go to her flickr site and see for yourselves.

Empty Studios

So, I'm not the world's most diligent blogger... I've had my little nose to the grindstone. As of this past week I am completely finished. It's a bitter sweet feeling. I was so busy toward the end and it feels great not having deadlines. But these two years in the Textile Arts program at Capilano College were fabulous. I learned so much and met many wonderful people. I'll especially miss the studios. We had access to so many materials and resources. Now I'm faced with the daunting (and exciting) task of setting up a studio of my own.