The Found Object in Textile Art
It is not exactly a how-to but a wonderful European way of describing the art of the lost—and found again. For British artist Holmes, being green is a by-product of her textile (and paper) art; almost any object, found anywhere, is cause for celebration—and inspiration. This very contemporary re-use of materials takes a little getting used to. Plus, the author, determined to persuade novices to do it themselves, includes very few detailed instructions; rather, she simply lists combinations of surfaces and the use of different tools and methods without specific suggestions. The section on joining layers, for instance, features commercial wallpaper paste as well as later references to hand and machine stitching. To a crafter’s delight, new terms and techniques are explored in some depth; momigami, the Japanese form of kneaded paper, contains streamlined instructions, as do sun printing, low-tech image transfer, and decoupage. Each page is colored with inspiring images, such as “Candy Colours” or plastic sherbet straws, just enough to whet any would-be artist’s appetite. Charmingly idiosyncratic. --Barbara Jacobs