Unmasking – A Chilkat Inspired Self-Portrait from the collection of Handweavers Guild of America, Inc.

Unmasking – A Chilkat Inspired Self-Portrait

Merino wool, yellow cedar, natural dyes, commercial dyes, beaver fur, panel frame

15 x 8 x 2 in (38.1 x 20.32 x 5.08 cm)

On Loan

FIRST PLACE

Artist’s Statement:
Chilkat dancing blankets record clan histories by hand-twining curvilinear Formline Designs with weft and warp spun from natural fibers. I used these unique skills and motifs to record the history of my personal identity in a dual panel of Chilkat profile faces. By weaving a masked face falling from the unmasked face behind it, I reveal myself.

Technique:
The first technique was thigh spinning merino wool with yellow cedar to create warp. Next, commercially spun merino weft was hand-dyed in several colors using a variety of natural and commercial dyes. Then the warp was hung on a single bar, a gravity-weighted loom. The merino weft was hand-twined on the free-hanging warps using Chilkat weaving skills. Finally, the weaving was removed from the loom, and beaver fur was wrapped around the tops of the warps.

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From Handweavers Guild of America, Inc.

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