We have been fortunate this year that our local distillery's tasting room had us as the featured artist for the month of October. Beverly (mom), created 8 rugs and Jerry (dad) turned them into wall hangings. I appreciate the fact that the rugs can easily be un"stitched" from the rod for floor use, or left like is for a beautiful wall art piece.
I am so proud of my mother for accepting the challenge, putting herself out there and representing our little farm. I am extremely proud to be apart of a wonderful community in which local businesses support local artists and other small businesses, like us! Thank you #Headframe Spirits, you are the best.....and that's "A Big Damn Deal".
Artist Statement
I have had a lifelong respect for the pioneering woman. I am fascinated by the resiliency of the hand-crafted objects that were needed for basic life items. The farm to fashion movement has brought some of those concepts and knowledge back to the forefront of today.
My daughter Betty bought her first alpacas 10 years ago. Her next purchase was a wooden, 2 shaft loom from 1920. All the possibilities of hand-crafted items from their fiber were exciting. And that is where I come into the picture.
After some dusting and oiling, I started to see this loom coming back to life. I was honored that I was placing my hands in the same spots as hard-working women before me. I knew this loom still had a lot of life left in it and many more stories to tell. So, I warped it, sat down, grabbed the beater bar, and listened.
On these walls are a sampling of some of this loom's new stories. Here is my collection of alpaca rugs, woven on that 1920’s Union loom. Whether used as a functional rug on the floor or a decorative piece for the wall, I appreciate not only how the movement of the fiber creates its own artistic mood, but how the weaving process makes me feel. I am part of a pioneering legacy. I am a weaver.
I hope you enjoy these pieces.
Beverly McVey