Unraveling and fraying
What’s possible when we let go of tightness and let air flow between the new spaces we’ve created.
The weft, of natural gray-dyed thread from the PhuTai weavers in southern Laos, un-weaves itself from the warp with every swoosh. The warp, of fine black commercial thread, cannot keep it from unraveling. The bond is fragile once the fabric is cut into strips, a bond that was held so tight now frays. But I still ask them to stay together a little longer, despite their vulnerable relationship, to see what marks they can make together, what marks they can leave behind.
The fabric brush agreed and hardly had any resistance. It was a floppy soft carrier of ink on a page. The fabric strips were turned this way and that and tentatively took up the ink. The slow movements from my hand yielding surprisingly expressive marks, each different from the next.
Even the marks left on the plate when it rested looked amazing!
Because mark making is spontaneous and without planning and there’s no doing it over, sometimes (well, often times) the final work is not always that interesting. But it can be again in another way. Cut up into one-inch squares and arranged and organized, new compositions are brought to life.
Maybe there was forgiveness between the warp and the weft threads in their last dance on the page.
Maybe they saw what was still possible – when we let go of tightness and let the air flow between the new spaces we’ve created...
This fabric brush was made of long strips of gray and black PhuTai fabric, positioned just so on a stick from one of my many hikes, then held together with natural hand spun cotton thread.
You can read more about the making of this and other brushes in a previous post here: Making brushes and about my previous brush experiments here: The marks a fabric brush makes.
“Unraveling and fraying” was originally published as an exclusive post to my Patreon supporters in July 2021. Now it's public and available to you, too!
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A big shout out to my wonderful supporters! Thank you, each of you, for supporting my ongoing creative work – Julie B, Sharmila K, Sushmita M, Kori J, Marga F, Kara B, Kristina L, Laura C, Louise B, Beck C, Skip M, Chris Z, and Richie M. It means so much and I am grateful. I think of you as create these posts, what I write about and share, and I hope that it offers you insight and inspiration along the way.