A student asked about how I made Flow: River Panel 1. It is a double weave pick up. The image is taken from a black and white poster of the State of Michigan Hydrology Map, purchased from Muir Way. I took photos of sections of the map, and then enlarged again by hand using a grid. This panel is the first. I intend for there to be a total of 8 panels - hung together like an old fashioned road map.

The warps and wefts are hand dyed. I dyed enough for the first set of four panels - and need to dye again for the second set. While I kept careful notes, I am sure that I will not be able to exactly reproduce the colors.

I am noticing on the fourth panel, the shapes are nonsensical to my eyes. They are fluid and beautiful, and remind me of text I cannot read. The technique is exacting, but not exact. Liberties are taken in the transposition from photo to drawn grid, and again from gird to woven form. These steps of removal enrich and make more personal the overall statement. What is seen is the result of an intersection between my eyes, hand, head, and someone else’s documentation of a river map. Rivers and lakes are also fluid, and change shapes as they expand and contract, and find new pathways.

I am planning to show three of the panels together at the Crooked Tree Guild show in February. let me know if you go see them!