During the seven weeks of ‘Entangled’ we’ll focus on individual artists here on our blog. ‘some things looming’ is pleased to introduce: Rowen Schusseim-Anderson
Brasilian Connection
I weave tapestries. I weave tapestries the same way they have been woven for hundreds of years. Weft threads intersect warp threads, creating an image by changing colors of yarn. While I use centuries’ old techniques, I introduce new elements and incorporate new materials, innovations and inspirations. Several techniques are used to push the boundaries of traditional tapestry, incorporating feathers, glass, beads, and other reflective materials to heighten contrast. Texture and color are integral components. Textured areas create a marked contrast to detailed beaded sections or the luminosity of fused glass. Pointilist-like beaded surfaces and glass areas provide elegant accents and focal points. Glass brings an intensity of color to another level in its luminosity, especially when juxtaposed with fiber, which is flat in comparison. The works are produced on a 56” wide four-harness floor loom. Besides tapestry weaving, techniques include wrapping, bead embroidery, beadweaving, coiling, fused glass, and glass lampwork. Materials include linen, wool, rayon, silk, nylon, cotton, beads, glass, and feathers.
Visiting West Africa and studying African art inspired many works. For example, I visited a market in tBurkina Faso in 2010. The market was the craziest, most colorful place I have ever been, evoking an image of a three-dimensional kaleidoscope on steroids! I tried to capture its energy, color and pattern in two of my works. Travels have also led me to South America, visiting artisans whose aesthetic has long intrigued me. The elaborate Andean textile tradition is known for its sensitivity to color and exquisite mastery of skill. Intricate weaving, Incan stone walls, the pattern of the clay tile roofs of Cuzco, Cuenca, and Quito, and even the ruddy colors of the earth and Andean faces have infiltrated my design aesthetic since my first visit over two decades ago; return visits reinforced this while offering new insights. The villages of West Africa, with their dusty earth and simple shelters juxtaposed against bright tie-dye fabrics, and the strikingly colorful crowded markets also now join in to create visual stimulation and provide inspiration.
Recent works are comprised of a variety of materials to push the boundaries of traditional tapestry weaving. I am combining glass, beads, and other reflective materials to heighten contrast.. There is an interplay of pattern, texture and color. The delicacy of the beaded surfaces offer a rich contrast to woven surface. Texture and color are integral components in this new work. Incorporating beads with the woven surface allows new possibilities with color. While fiber is linear, beads are like dots; combining beads to make art is not dissimilar from the pointillists painting seemingly infinite points next to each other to create a colored area in a composition. Glass beads bring an intensity of color to another level in their luminosity, especially when juxtaposed with fiber, which is flat in comparison. Working with beads and fiber together provides a vast range of surface contrasts.
Shelter (For Dad)