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.
Triple Take
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.”
“Twisted, Twined and Woven” Contemporary Fiber Art
Cahoon Museum of American Art, Cotuit, MANovember 2 – December 22, 2018Local paper reviewCollected Works of Sarah D. HaskellMaine Fiberarts Gallery13 Main Street, Topsham MENovember 20, 2018 - January 12, 2019Be sure to check out the beautiful web page for Maine Fiberarts.
Post Monhegan
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.
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.
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.
Fall harvest
I’m harvesting a bounty of creative projects and activities this fall. The highlight was my 5 week residency on Monhegan Island .
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!
Beyond my studio I am in shows this fall: Cahoon Museum of American Art, Cotuit, MA. “Twisted, Twined, and Woven” Opening November 2, 2018 4:30 – 6 PMCenter for Maine Contemporary Art, Rockland ME – Biennial Show Opening November 3, 2018 5 – 7 PM
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.
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…….
Witnessing and working. Observing and absorbing
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!!
Slow down, it’s summer!
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!
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.
So green, so blue, so old, so new
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:
Fuller Craft Museum (Brockton MA) – Biennial Members Exhibit – I won a Best of Show! Up until October 7, 2018.George Marshall Gallery (York, ME) - Group Show – until July 8, 2018. Artist’s talk June 24, 3 PMPortsmouth Music and Art Center (Portsmouth, NH) – “Tiny Enormous Art Show” Opening June 22, 2018 5 – 7.IN THE STUDIO
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.
Spring is bursting forth!
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:
- “Well Used, Well Loved”. – this two year community project will be exhibited at George Marshall Gallery. Opening May 26 from 5-7.
- Artist Talk - Sunday June 24th, 3 PM, George Marshall Gallery
- Members Juried Biennial, Fuller Craft Museum, Opening May 20th, 2-5 PM
- Monhegan Island Artist’s Residency - I have been awarded a 5 week residency for the fall!
- “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!
Patience
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!
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.
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.
The heart, the voice and a vision.
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.
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!
Namaste ~ Sarah