Recently a bright event happened. Someone came along and brightened my sky. Just like the Aurora Australis happening in our skies at the moment. I find that really good things in my life have just happened. No planning or devising or goal setting needed…she just turned up. She is a wonderful weaver who I admire greatly and she asked me to show up at my loom. By conversation and checking in on each other. I accepted. We’re now happily corresponding about life, weaving, culture, writing, art. This has all come along at a good time for me with trying to find a new direction but taking the older d ..read more

As I am winding down and closing Curiousweaver studio. Black warps, looms and accessories are no longer available. It has all been difficult personally as these things are for all who venture down this path. Weaving has been a constant in my life. It has literally saved me at times and always given me something to look forward to, a puzzle, an experiment…a hope. It will continue to do this I’m sure. I have always wanted others to know of my joy and perhaps see if weaving suits their life or time of life which I think for many people I have encountered it has. This is why SAORI was so wonderf ..read more

As my studio is growing smaller I see weavers who are looking at deep practice more and it is a joy to feel their pleasure at the whole process whilst they build skill and flow. My monthly weavers who have become friends below are enjoying wave weaving again and it just looks so good at some deep human level which I’m yet to understand. But many natural things happen in waves – beach, ocean, tides, pain, crowds. We have a deeply special area near our home – Saltwater – and it’s easy to see the mesmerizing effects of wave in the fresh tidal lagoon. Here you can see the sand and outgoing tide ..read more

Finally an exhibition piece is complete! Working though this work took a bit of brain work but that is what weaving can be at times. I’ve been trying to combine drawing with woven work for many years and the two came together in a most un-ceremonial way. It just happened. There is a saying that you just put in the work and art develops. I guess there is an element of truth in that. Working towards something that is unknown but right and satisfying in the end. This is a charcoal portrait that I did in the Other Side Art Retreat at Ghinni Ghinni with the inspiration and encouragement of artist ..read more

As I have elected to be part of an exhibition soon I had to get to work on something I have been doing from some time. Weaving with a stiff material to provide shaping but also to have an ephemeral yet flexible sort of feel to it. This is a large piece which I previously wove for an exhibition. It has an ikat/kasuri dyed warp which works well in this situation. The shadows thrown on the wall from the piece are sharp and beautiful. It was created with a long and tall wall in mind which I don’t have! So now it is folded within the hang. With the same idea in mind I moved to create a piece th ..read more

I’m undergoing a change in my studio and although it’s not fully formed yet, I am enjoying it. Struggling with covid control and the dramatic cost of living expenses that people are going through is not conducive to a weaving business, thus the change for me. But I see weaving and the arts a bit like chocolate…surely most of us can enjoy even just a little. I started with a little commission for a gift from my sister which was a delight to weave. The brief was brief – Pink! Saori weaving really puts the relaxation back into the human. I’ve woven alot over the last few weeks but have travelled ..read more

There is nothing more impressive than a huge woven tapestry. The Australian Tapestry workshop has produced the second largest tapestry outside the one in Parliament House, Canberra for Parramatta in NSW. It is very moving for a me as a weaver to experience this type of woven work and my reaction confirmed that I am still a weaver after all, even though that vocation has been challenged recently! So I am grateful to the work for filling me up again. Thank you to all the Parramatta tapestry weavers who have done much more than ‘only’ weaving the piece. You’ve helped me re-confirm by devotion to ..read more

I’m just finished with the Weave To Heal Project in Wingham, NSW over three days. Wingham is part of my home and only half an our away. This project was partially funded by the Creative Recovery Network in response to the bushfires and floods in our area over the past few years. A series of six x two hour sessions over three days resulted in about 24 participants contributing to a woven cloth. Its eventual community outing is planned to be as a huge picnic rug and community picnic which I think is a delightful outcome. Even though we have had to sell our nifty ‘loom mobile’ over Covid, I was s ..read more

After finding myself thanking what I thought was a person but was actually a bot for assistance I felt embarrassed and silly. It makes me question where manners and etiquette fit when communicating online today. When do we know it is a real person with feelings and expectations and when is it a bot? So news of the power of open AI at Chat GPT was intriguing. Already it is being used pretty extensively in business and journalism so why not handweaving. At the moment my access is only with text but I know other models are around. I typed this into the bot ” What is the value of handweaving today ..read more

2022 has finalised its ways and we begin again in 2023. This brings some changes for Curiousweaver Studio as there have been challenges over the last three years which leaves me at a crossroad and I am now winding down the general retail aspect of the business. I will continue to be a registered SAORI studio and tutor offering personalised tuition, zoom sessions and other group booked workshops for the SAORI weaving style. It will also give me time to explore crossovers in weaving and art which I will continue to share on this blog. General SAORI sales will be forwarded to the two other regist ..read more