If you follow my work - you will know of my fascination with the color blue. As a swimmer and a sailor, the ocean blues appear regularly in my work.I love to hand dye my blues – either with cold water synthetic dyes or with traditional indigo dye pot. It all comes down to the subtle variations I can achieve by hand dying my threads, and then weaving them in a fluid progression.
The 56″ 8 H work horse!
Shuttles at the ready.
This month I have been busy with the weaving of a series of large panels of these gradated blue linens. There is almost an unspeakable beauty about this progression of blues, from deep to pale.These panels are about 4′ by 6′ - and will ultimately hang side by side to giving the viewer the feeling of a wide oceanic horizon.
EVIDENCE is “the available body of facts or information indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid.”
No surprise, this word is currently part of our political climate.
Just back from a month long sojourn in warmer climes, I laid out and examined the “Small Parts” that I created while away – examining the evidence of my own life.
Leaf with Blue Hole
These little works of art- the woven shells, embroidered leaves and netted horseshoe crab shells – are physical objects that are evidence of a period of contemplation and curiosity.
But these concrete things are really a gateway to the unseen, the invisible.
This winter, I am away for a month, renting a small bungalow in the Florida Keys. On this trip I decided to test the idea that limiting one’s tools, materials and palette has a way of forcing new paths of creativity.I intentionally limited my “art bag” to a few materials and supplies. I brought drawing supplies, water colors, and a sketch book. I brought some embroidery threads and a bunch of bobbins with indigo dyed linens, needles and scissors. Thats it.I have always believed that to make art, I do not need to have elaborate equipment or materials. My teaching mantra has been “any solid object can be a loom.”Years ago, during a solo residency on a White Island (off the coast of NH), I tested this theory and built looms out of driftwood, found ropes and other flotsam.So are I am again, testing this idea, opening doors to new ways of making art.
Horseshoe crab #1
These little weavings and embroideries are a small part of a larger story: my curiosity about the invisible mysteries of life, the infinite wisdom of the natural world and the beautiful potential of each moment.This collection of works is titled “Small Parts” in reference to the idea that we are all small parts of a larger Universe.
I was recently asked to write a blog post for Brittany Whittam McLaughlin’s forum, “The Common Thread.” It was a real treat to have the opportunity to think back and look forward while standing in the spot that marks my 50th year as a weaver.This month also marks the end of two exhibits: my solo show at Maine FiberArts (until 1/12/19) and the Cahoon Museum (ended 12/22/18). However the Center for Maine Contemporary Art Biennial is still up until March 3.I hope you get a chance to read this short piece I just wrote. I think it sums it all up.Thanks.Sarah
I have been a weaver for more 49 years. No matter how many threads I have spun, dyed and woven ….each time I sit at the loom there is a sense of “rightness.” The action of throwing the shuttle, beating it neatly into place and then doing it again and again……..row upon row, thread by thread. This feeds my soul.This linen fabric will be washed, rusted, bleached, embroidered and who knows what else.There is something sacred about this process of creating cloth from beginning to end.If you want to see a large collection of my work – please visit my show at Maine FiberArts in Topsham ME.
Yowza….three opportunities to see my work.How about a road trip ?From Rockland, Maine to Cotuit, MA Cape with a lunch stop in Brunswick, Maine.Here are the details:Center For Maine Contemporary Art 21 Winter Street, Rockland, MECMCA Biennial November 3, 2018 – March 3, 2019Sunday, December 2 | 3-5pm
WHO DO YOU LOVE? - “Join us as Biennial Artists share their art crushes—each artist presents three works of art by other artists that they love, and tells why. In this way, the audience is introduced to a wide range of art and gains insight into how artists look at art, how they take inspiration from the work of other artists, and how deep looking informs their own work. A question and answer period will follow the presentations.”
As with all residencies – there is a ripple effect that takes place once I am home. It’s been 3 weeks since I returned from my 5 week stay out on Monhegan Island, a small Maine island 12 miles off shore.I could tell you how much I loved watching the light house beam sweep across the roof tops every night, or I could tell you about the day I hiked for 5 hours, or I could show you some pictures of the rust paper collages that I created.
Rust web on bed-spring
I could also tell you how I came to love the inner woods for walking, shying away from the drama of the cliffs and how I fell in love with the works of James Fitzgerald.But I think the best way to share about my time is to add a couple photos here — and then to wait.
Brewery-caps-and-black-bean-print
Wait for the tide to recede and rise a few more times. Wait for the moon to wax and wane few more months. Wait for my heart to settle. And wait for new works in progress to continue to emerge.Thank you for waiting along side me.
I’m harvesting a bounty of creative projects and activities this fall. The highlight was my 5 week residency on Monhegan Island .
My island studio home
I’ve posted many images on my Instagram and FaceBook pages – so be sure to check those out. I suspect that this time and the work I accomplished out there will have significant affect on my work moving forward. I’ll do my best to share my work as it progresses!
In an effort to bring closure to “Well Used, Well Loved” I have begun to return towels and journals to the participants in the community art project.
Well used and loved towels and journals going home.
And FiberArt Now magazine just published a feature article about my work. I am honored and so excited for this exposure. Thank you to writer Janet Mendelsohn for her well-crafted piece about my journey and vision.Now it’s time to get back to work…….
I have the incredible good fortune to be the Monhegan Artist in Residence for five weeks this fall. In my proposal I wrote that “I will observe and document the forces of nature at work – not only on my handwoven/stitched cloth but on the island landscape and ultimately on me.”So I am here. And it is magnificent.I have been gathering items that I can use for rust printing on my handwoven linen and kozo paper. In the process of seeking items to rust print I have had the opportunity to meet some lovely folks who have opened their workshops, back yards and dump piles to me.But this is truly just a beginning. I am taking my time to sink into this landscape and this community. Just as the processes that I use to make my art take a long time, I too, will take my time to just be here. To breathe in the majesty and subtle shifts of this precious island.I regularly post images and reflections on Instagram and Facebook – so for more up to date info – please check out my pages. Thanks for all the support!!
Summer in Maine is so incredibly brief ….. I just want to stretch each day and make time slow down. Luckily when I thread the loom or weave, I am forced to slow down. There is no fast way to do these activities – without making mistakes!I am currently weaving cloth that will be weathered, rusted and aged after it comes off the loom. My experiments with ways to transformed my cloth continue!
Frieda comes running
This weekend we head off for a month of living aboard our beloved Witness. Frieda is getting better about living aboard – even if it means using a carpet on deck for “her business”!
I hope wherever you are you find a way to slow down and soak up these beautiful days.
Wide washes of the deep blues and purples that I love can be seen everywhere in my garden. The irises, Centaurea Montana, violets, lilacs and lupine are all bursting forth. Ahhhh, June – perhaps my favorite month.EXHIBITS:
I am playing with rust dyes, aging weathering my woven linens – making them appear old and worn. These experiments are a natural outgrowth from “Well Used, Well Loved.”I recently “downsized”my 56″loom. I removed 8 harnesses and the dobby system. You can read about this on my Macomber blog.These delicious long June days offer time for art explorations, gardening, outdoor play and reflection.I hope wherever you are you are finding the same.
After the coldest spring I can recall in decades, we finally have the delicious days of spring that we dream of all winter. Not only are the buds luscious and full, but my calendar is ripe with shows, new art and other events. Here are the highlights:
“Each One:The Button Project, a 9/11 Memorial” is on exhibit at the September 11th Museum and Memorial. I was finally able to visit the museum last month.
In the studio, I am exploring new works, weaving, stitching and dyeing. More images and updates will follow soon!
Of all the seasons here in New England, Spring requires the most patience. This year Mother Nature teased us with unseasonably warm days in January….and then slammed us with a series of Nor’Easters in March. We had over 2 feet of snow dumped on us in less than two weeks!During one of those blizzards, Letter L blew off the tree where it had been weathering in situ along with letters OV ands E. I’ve been patiently waiting for the huge snow drift to melt. And when it finally did… look what I found!
Letter L completes LOVE.
These indigo dyed weavings are part of on-going experiments that I’m doing with my woven fabrics. Recently, I have been curious about the aging and weathering processes of my textiles. For years I resisted these changes by framing, scotch-guarding and protecting my works from sunlight, dust and humidity. Now I am consciously subjecting pieces to wind, water rust and sunlight.I find this intentional abuse and breaking down of my “precious” fabrics confronts my own attachment to permanence and my futile attempts to stop the aging process within my own body.
Patience is inherent to the process of threading a loom.
If anything, these weathering and aging processes require patience. Patience is a skill that I have honed over decades. Both as a weaver and mediator, I have learned to be comfortable in the slow, methodical techniques that comprise the textiles arts.Now, as I watch the receding snow piles and the budding crocuses, I am comfortable in this waiting-space. Waiting for Spring, witnessing the metamorphosis of nature and blossoming creativity.
I am back from a five week pilgrimage to southern India. This is my third trip to Tamil Nadu, each time I feel a deeper connection to my own heart as well as the heart of the world. Even though I visited many of the same temples, the same ashram and the same villages – my heart and my eyes were opened anew.Back home in my studio I feel a stronger connection to my creative voice and vision. I know without a doubt that the depth of my connection to truth, love and reality while in India is playing out in my art work.
Sketchbook: A quiet time with the ashram cows
An invesigation of impermanence has captivated me for a decade and driven my two most recent community art projects. This awareness of impermanence is part of a Hindu’s daily life – and makes the present moment so alive and expansive.So here I am home….with a heart that has had time for deep reflection as well as being broken open by the devotion and love of these beautiful people. I have a wide horizon of time to create, to make new art and give voice to these new stirrings in my heart. Stay tuned for works in progress and continued reflections on this trip!
The Ashram weave shed where they weave shawls and saris
The quartet from the community art project “Well Used, Well Loved.”
A couple of weeks ago I completed the four panel series from “Well Used, Well Loved.” (WUWL) The outer two panels are woven in a brocade weave with miles of shifu – paper spun thread with text from WUWL participants. The center two panels are hand dyed and woven linen with embroidery and a red shifu thread couched on to the surface.It has been photographed — with a bit help help from Photoshop – because it as too wide for one shoot! The whole piece measures 12′ wide by 6′ tall.
“Well Used, Well Loved.” detail of two center panels
I have a commitment to exhibit the entire project in a wonderful gallery – stay tuned for more details!With the completion of this project, I inevitably have my eyes on my next endeavor. Having been an artist for well over 4 decades, I know that one piece of art leads to another. In this case – the project “Well Used, Well Loved” has got me thinking about subjecting my own woven cloth to more “weathering” before embroidery. So that’s where I am headed right now – to weave some cloth — then heavily wash it, bleach it, pound it, burn it and put some pieces in the garden for the winter!
Woven brocade cloth inserted into old door.
Each project or piece of art pulls me further on the path of exploring and expanding ideas, pushing the materials and medium of weaving .And then sometimes I get an opportunity to look back at my art — and see a continuous thread of inquiry. I recently gifted an older piece (1974) to a dear friend. This piece titled “Come In” shows early evidence of my curiosity about weathered works.
“Come In” detail Woven brocade cloth inserted into old door.
I am back home from a month of sailing on the coast of Maine.
Witness at Merchants Row
We have a 30′ sloop named Witness – actually she is the third boat named Witness that we have owned. For over 30 years I have sailed these waters with some awareness of the connection between sailing and observing/seeing.
August sailing journal
But this summer, after four weeks of living aboard, I think I finally “got it.” What I came to understand is that these weeks have been literally about just seeing – observing and witnessing.Prior to heading out to sea I packed a pile of drawing supplies, three journals, paper to write on, to draw on and paint on. I packed paper to spin along with my drop spindle. I packed needles and linen thread. I packed scissors and a knife. I packed several books to read. I also packed a small iPad with headphones and the reference guides to the energy work I am studying. I was prepared to be busy and fully occupied.
Shifu spinning at sea
It quickly became clear the the muses of the ocean had other plans for my time and attention. When we were under way, either by sail or power, I used my full attention to navigate our course. A few times when we were at anchor I was able to draw in my journal or the ship’s log to document our cruise. Twice I used my spindle to spin paper into Shifu thread.But for the most part either by choice or design – this past month I spent my time just looking. I observed the waves, the tides, the wind direction and speed, the motion of the lobster buoys, the seaweed, the porpoises and seals, quahogs and smooth granite ledges.I heard the cry of an eagle, the huff of a harbor seal, the thwack of the halyard and the hum of an outboard motor. I smelled rotten fish, dewy evergreens, stinky boots and diesel fumes.
Vinalhaven sunset
But mostly I saw the beauty of the natural world that my heart was thirsty for.I saw a deep connection between my husband and myself.
Thru the eyes of a puppy
I saw life through the eyes of a puppy.I’ll admit it is really wonderful to be home where it is dry and warm. And it’s wonderful to be back in my studio with room to make art. But all this feels deeper and richer for the past month of simply witnessing aboard “Witness.”
Summertime in the the studio - I am weaving the last two panels for “Well Used, Well Loved.” When these 40″ by 72″ panels are woven I will embroider on the surface using Shifu thread as well as embroidery floss. Balanced with this indoor studio time, I am spinning more paper and drawing while sailing or traveling. I continue to post on Instagram (sdhaskell) and my Facebook page (Sarah D. Haskell).
Weaving yardage for WUWL embroidery
Last Spring I stepped away from teaching to focus entirely on my studio work and community art projects. This shift in focus has offered me the opportunity to compete several new pieces and to bring some closure to “Well Used, Well Loved.“ I continue to guide a few Mandala Community Waving project for local venues. No surprise to my art colleagues — my website is the last frontier to get any attention and an update.
Portsmouth Pride Mandala
This blog posting is just to say — hang on — it’s coming. Please watch for an updated gallery with many new images. Plus a redesigned website to reflect my redirected attention.
The Button Project in NYC. Photo by Jin S. Lee, 9/11 Memorial
The Button Project in NYC
The Button Project a 9/11 Memorial
Seventeen years ago I designed and created “The Button project: a 9/11 Memorial.” It was through the making of this piece piece that I came to know what it means to be a community artist.Last winter the National September 11th Memorial and Museum asked to borrow the piece from the the City of Portsmouth.The piece is now installed in a special exhibit with three other pieces inspired by the events of 9/11. Needless to say – I am thrilled to have this piece here.All photos by Jin S. Lee 9/11 Memorial
In this time, in this place.For everything there is a season – and it appears there is a timetable as well. This spring has been deliciously slow and very cool. This pace seems to fit with the way my recent art has been evolving.I spent all of last month working on grants – and now it is back to color, thread, patterns, lines, paper spinning, drawing and dyes.I am in the midst of setting up two looms to create a four panel piece that will include the hand spun Shifu threads from “Well Used, Well Loved.”I have dyed 12 yards of a deep blue- black that will be a ground weave for the four panels. On the two outside panels (6’ by 2’) I will have a supplementary warp to stitch down the Shifu threads in horizontal lines. The effect I am seeking is that of a letter or document. The two inside panels (40” by 6”) will have the Shifu thread couched (stitched down) to the surface. The design is a pair of hands – a wide open palm and perhaps one hand in a mudra gesture.
