IN AN EFFORT TO STAY CONNECTED WITH OUR MEMBER ARTISTS, WE THOUGHT WE WOULD VISIT THEIR STUDIOS AND SHARE A BIT OF THEIR WORK IN PROGRESS WITH YOU.
• TODAY WE WILL FEATURE DEBORAH FINGERLOW •
Counting Threads
I’m marking the days, counting threads and cutting strips of fabric to make something old into something new. Same as everyone else.
At first, it was difficult to disassemble clothing originally made to last. The denim jeans got me every time, and some seams are nearly impossible to rip, but I’m getting it done. Slowly.
As our lives change, as concern becomes both bigger and smaller, it isn’t always easy to work the fabric of life. It’s attached by so many threads, the change seems daunting. It takes time to change one beautiful life that you love, turning it into another that you love equally, albeit differently.
Start smaller. Get used to the scissors, or brush or pencil in your hand. Get used to the quiet. The solo creativity. The homeschooling. The meal preparation. The fabric of a differently-styled life.
There is no pattern. Some weavers, like me, work intuitively, deciding on the fly what will be next. Some excel at producing precision pieces I can only dream about. Both are beautiful, and both take time and talent to create.
No right. Or wrong. Just each of us doing what works best for our art. For our lives. Right here. Right now.
-Deborah Fingerlow
A classic rag rug on the loom, made with old clothes too worn to donate.
I love mixing fibers. Here the weft, or horizontal fibers, are baby alpaca crossed over locally produced and dyed merino wool.
After weaving a long length of plain linen, I’m planning to dragon-embellish.
