2016 Awardee-Catherine Gray
Catherine Gray
Allotted Time 1, 2016
40 cm x 40 cm
Cotton warp, wool weft
Artist Statement
I use my work to portray ideas of passing time. I am fascinated by the rhythmic, methodical process of weaving and how this can be used to represent gradual change or the moving of one state to another. My tapestries are made in response to the landscape. I am concerned with depicting the gradual changes throughout the day by using variations in colour and different blending techniques. I want the viewer to be taken on a journey throughout the series and to recognise the beauty and rich colour found within our surroundings.
I began documenting the changes throughout the day by photographing the same view at different times and in different weathers. I was astounded by the array of colours found within these photographs and how gradual changes can connote different times of the day. Dying all my yarns has allowed me to create the exact colours found within the photos.
Through pixelating photographs the imagery becomes very structural and mirrors the grid found within the weaving. I feel it is important to recognise the structure of the method, with vertical warps and horizontal wefts the grid is inherent to the process and I use this to inspire and influence the work. The juxtaposition between instantaneous photography and the slow-paced, laborious nature of the process is also an important factor in my work. The digital pixilation of the photos also contrasts with the traditional age-old method of weaving.
Catherine Gray
Allotted Time 2, 2016
40 cm x 40 cm
Cotton warp, wool weft
Biography
Catherine Gray has been selected for the American Tapestry Alliance’s 2016 International Student Award. Catherine studies Fine Art and, in her second year, completed a practice placement at West Dean Tapestry Studio in West Sussex, UK. The four pieces shown here were created for her end-of-degree show.
