Clarity, Susan J. Bowman, Fiber Art
Artist Statement
Contemporary abstract weavings have comprised much of my work over the last several years, the result of combining large complex patterns with hand-dyed yarns. Each work studies how pattern and color intersect to create designs that are the hallmark of handmade cloth.
Pixel-by-pixel, I hand-draw basic pattern shapes in Adobe Photoshop®. I add other weaving information and place the final design into specialized weaving software. Thread color choice is an important decision and I often use dyes to create the effect I’m looking for. I work with both traditional and unusual materials depending on my goal and sometimes use a physical property, like wool shrinkage, to achieve interesting texture.
The repetitive, physical aspects of handweaving take time, a process that is quite meditative. Many thousands of yards of yarn pass through my hands on the way to becoming an ordered, stable web. I enjoy all the steps involved in handweaving but nothing compares to the feeling of throwing a shuttle and seeing my design develop into cloth.
I’ve been a weaver since 1985, am a Colorado native and graduate of Colorado School of Mines. I spent my career in the semiconductor industry and an engineer’s perspective is behind many of my choices in materials, design, and color.
