I have been weaving for over 20 years. I cannot say exactly what made me want to build my first loom in a small apartment, but from the first weft I placed into the warp on that loom, I’ve been drawn to weaving as my artistic tool of choice.
My work’s current areas of focus are Jacquard pictorial pieces and rugs. In my Jacquard pieces, I try to create a distinct sense of place and location that a wide range of viewers can identify with. I want to draw the viewer into the piece, inviting them to explore the implication of the woven medium they are veiwing to their own relationship with woven material. The process I use starts with digital images I have taken, which I combine and manipulate. I sometimes add digital painting to this mix. I then map this digital collage into woven structures I can weave on the loom.
My rugs are both functional pieces, intended to provide years of service, as well as artistic pieces. These rugs are all designed on a simple grid of one half inch squares, with only two colors on each row. I enjoy working within this simple system – it pushes me to be creative as I try to produce pieces with more compex images and ideas.
geoff.shilling@gmail.com
