HELEN FOOT DESIGN

artists statement

" For me there is nothing more satisfying than taking a strand of yarn and with little more than my time and intent, creating beautiful fabric in harmony with the loom. Weaving involves a great deal of control, each thread is continuously counted and ordered. I therefore like to shake up that control from time to time. When sampling I will often set up multiple warps and weave them as a blanket. By designing for a section of a warp there will be surprises on the other parts. These are happy accidents to me. Every stage of the process is important though. Using quality yarns is key, without these it is impossible to create truly beautiful cloth. Colour is also of vital importance. I greatly enjoy the manipulation of colour. I find the balance between bright and murky tones extremely satisfying and will often base palettes on expressive pieces of fine art. And the weaving process does not stop when the cloth has been cut from the loom, I must continue to care, play and manipulate the fabric through the finishing processes as well. But I am more than a weaver, I am a designer. The loom is my toy, a continuous playground for experimentation, idiom and fun."