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Katharine Swailes
Herbaceous Verdure, 2022
Wool cotton unglazed wood frame
118.5 x 20.5 x 3.5cm
Series: Colourfield
CF0963
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Herbaceous Verdure is inspired by the gardens of Piet Oudolf the tall summer borders of Filipendula (rosacea) Meadow Sweet. 'A verdure tapestry, also called Garden Tapestry, is a type of...
Herbaceous Verdure is inspired by the gardens of Piet Oudolf the tall summer borders of Filipendula (rosacea) Meadow Sweet.
"A verdure tapestry, also called Garden Tapestry, is a type of tapestry decorated with a design based on plant forms. It is not known exactly when the first verdure tapestries were made, but, by the 16th century, tapestries with formal designs derived from foliage had become immensely popular.” Encyclopaedia Brittanica
Talking about her Colourfield Series Katharine said: "My Colourfield handwoven tapestries are created using a sequence of discontinuous lines woven horizontally, starting from the bottom edge the slow progress upward is like layers of sediment laid down and compressed, a woven record of the day. These compressed coloured strands of handed dyed wools, building to create abstract works that speak of their making.The starting point is dyeing the yarn, this happens in my garden the outdoors informs the colour. Reflected light from the sea and lush vegetation, guiding my eye to create a family of colour reflecting the seasons and light qualities of the day. Working with no preparatory drawings or weaving guide, structured preparation of materials before the weaving, allow contemplation of process and self when I sit at the loom. The meditative pathway of each work is lightly trodden, with no design or preparatory drawings, just the process and the day recorded, to an undisclosed covered outcome."
Katharine has created textiles for over 30 years, specialising in conventional flat wall works and smaller three-dimensional sculptural pieces. She also weaves large scale commissions at Atelier Weftfaced and West Dean Tapestry Studio. The constructively open-ended nature of the medium is at the heart of Katharine’s practice. In 2016 Katharine received the Theo Moorman Award and she has been shortlisted for the Cordis Prize in 2016 and 2019. In 2020 her work was included in the exhibition Common Thread at the New Art Centre, Wiltshire.
"A verdure tapestry, also called Garden Tapestry, is a type of tapestry decorated with a design based on plant forms. It is not known exactly when the first verdure tapestries were made, but, by the 16th century, tapestries with formal designs derived from foliage had become immensely popular.” Encyclopaedia Brittanica
Talking about her Colourfield Series Katharine said: "My Colourfield handwoven tapestries are created using a sequence of discontinuous lines woven horizontally, starting from the bottom edge the slow progress upward is like layers of sediment laid down and compressed, a woven record of the day. These compressed coloured strands of handed dyed wools, building to create abstract works that speak of their making.The starting point is dyeing the yarn, this happens in my garden the outdoors informs the colour. Reflected light from the sea and lush vegetation, guiding my eye to create a family of colour reflecting the seasons and light qualities of the day. Working with no preparatory drawings or weaving guide, structured preparation of materials before the weaving, allow contemplation of process and self when I sit at the loom. The meditative pathway of each work is lightly trodden, with no design or preparatory drawings, just the process and the day recorded, to an undisclosed covered outcome."
Katharine has created textiles for over 30 years, specialising in conventional flat wall works and smaller three-dimensional sculptural pieces. She also weaves large scale commissions at Atelier Weftfaced and West Dean Tapestry Studio. The constructively open-ended nature of the medium is at the heart of Katharine’s practice. In 2016 Katharine received the Theo Moorman Award and she has been shortlisted for the Cordis Prize in 2016 and 2019. In 2020 her work was included in the exhibition Common Thread at the New Art Centre, Wiltshire.
Exhibitions
Selected ExhibitionsElemental Lines, Cavaliero Finn at Ballroom Arts, Suffolk, 2023