SCHOLARSHIP STORIES
CHLOE M. PALMER’S STORY
I have always held a fascination for handicrafts, especially the fiber arts. I wove simple tapestries as a girl and knew that someday, when the opportunity arose, I would like to expand my understanding of weaving. While I hate that many skills which were once necessary are being lost in the wake of fast fashion and consumerism, I love that the cowboy culture values traditional processes and handmade quality.
The focus of my creative energy the past four years has been with seed beads, but I have never lost my love of working with fibers. Because some forms of beadwork are traditionally done on a loom, weaving seemed a natural progression of my creative process. The opportunity to participate in the scholarship program was confirmation that the timing was right to pursue it.
Living rurally and being the mother of a toddler complicated finding a mentor. I had plans to travel to Oklahoma to take a group class but scheduling dates in the time frame did not work out. Through a friend I found a local art center that offered weaving classes! I was connected with Ginger Shive, a seasoned weaver and fiber artist who met with me for several lessons. Ginger founded the Prairie City Fiber Festival in Eastern, OR. She has experience and appreciation for the Western way of life and I truly enjoyed my time with her. I also had the pleasure of learning from fellow students of Ginger’s who mentored me as well. The community of weavers I found in the small town of Burns is a treasure.
I learned how to plan the dimensions and details of a weaving project. How to properly measure my warp and dress a loom. How to weave simple patterns and finish a project neatly. I gained an understanding of the tools used in this craft, as well as the mechanics of a loom.
I came away with a greater respect for the craft of weaving. It pushed my less-than-technically-minded creative brain! I look forward to cementing the formulas used to map out a piece so that they come more naturally, as well as adapting what I learned to suit my personal style of making.
As a beader, I tend to feel most comfortable when working with uniform materials to create a uniformly textured piece. Weaving has grown my appreciation for contrasting textures, and well placed anomalies to add interest in a piece.
From this experience I also gained friendships with other creatives that I would not have met otherwise. I hope to maintain a connection with the local art center and maybe even contribute to the community through it myself.
This scholarship gave me an opportunity to pursue a dream in a tangible, sustainable way. I was able to receive education from experts in a way that could be immediately utilized to pursue my goals as an artist and maker.
With this experience I have grown personally. Not only did my artistic perspective grow to accommodate the skills I was learning, my mentality towards accepting help and support from others shifted as well. As a full time mother it is difficult to find time to create let alone to learn a new skill. It is important to me that my son doesn’t feel like he has to compete with my work for my attention, but it is hard to find a balance in this. In order for me to participate in this scholarship it took a village of kind friends to care for my son while I attended classes. I was humbled and blessed by everyone who helped me complete this course. With this experience I have grown personally.
During the workshop I had a particular aha moment. My mentor was demonstrating how unique textures of fibers can be used to add interest to a piece. I tend to read designs in two dimensions, and my aha moment was realizing how much detail I could be adding to my work to give it a three dimensional feel.
If I could go back and give myself advice, it would be, find a babysitter sooner! Although the other people at the art center were more than willing to let my son roam in between looms and play during my lessons, I had a couple sessions where I wish my attention had been less divided.
This scholarship has contributed to my goals. The scholarship has provided me with the tools to advance my work away from jewelry. As much as I love jewelry, I would like to grow towards work that is not perceived as something “crafty”. I want to create pieces that are intended to express feeling and add beauty and interest as their sole function. This seems a lifetime of experience away, but I look forward to using the skills I have learned to expand the possibilities in that direction. I hope to attend more weaving classes at the art center to continue my education in this media.
My scholarship experience has created new possibilities. It opened the door to a whole community and countless resources in my area. I have made connections that I can continue to learn from, and found a physical place to showcase and possibly sell my work at some point.
