April 2012 AiP

Artist Lyn Hart

 

Artist at Lees Ferry April 2012

I have been drawing and painting as long as I can remember. My interest in textiles and fibers began in my early twenties while I was living in Florida where, while working as a seamstress in a local sewing factory, I taught myself quilting. My introduction to weaving occurred later when I studied reed basketry with a local artist during a summer break from nursing school. After moving to Arizona in 1997, I discovered Navajo weaving in a University of Arizona course that examined the origins of man in the Southwest. As a result, I became interested in contemporary tapestry weaving and began to weave in my spare time, at first learning on my own. In 2005, I retired from my career as a perinatal research/obstetric nurse to pursue tapestry weaving. In early summer 2007, construction of my home studio was completed.

 

Artist Lyn Hart

Artist Statement

The desert, austere and sublime, is my Muse. My handwoven tapestries explore this uniqueness and serve as a reminder of how exceptional these lands and their denizens are, for those who know and love them, or reveal their beauty to those who do not.

Naturally dyeing a portion of the wool I weave with is an integral part of my creative process, especially since I collect many indigenous dyestuffs myself. The progression of natural dyeing becomes a spiritual alchemy and the colors obtained are precious gifts that enhance my weaving palette with their subtle and vibrant hues. Many materials and fibers may find their way into my tapestries as the design and effect I am seeking warrant-- commercially dyed wools, cotton, bamboo, silk, rayon, linen, waxed linen, sea silk, fishing net, silk wrapped steel --and perhaps more I have yet to discover.

 

Lyn will be creating her art at Lees Ferry in April of 2012. For more information, visit her website at www.desertsongstudio.com.