"Reflected Figure II" Caroline Rackley

"Reflected Figure II" Caroline Rackley. Acrylic embellished tapestry.  10.5" x 16.5" on artist's board, unframed.

THREADS

A thread with its delicate tensile strength can carry a current, hold things together, combine in numbers making rope strong enough to save a life or tie up an ocean liner.

Threads lie together quietly in organized multiples to cover our nakedness, keep us warm, shade us from the sun, bind up our wounds, grace our crystal laden tables, blindfold our prisoners, fly our flags, wrap up our infants, drape our royalty and blow our countless noses.

If these ordinary little threads were to suddenly vanish, we would miss them right away. I always feel grateful when they gather themselves into a tapestry for me, thinking of the other important things they could be doing in the world.

At some point in pre-history, an ancestor of mine launched the craft of weaving by interlacing branches, bark and grasses among the trunks of a thicket, seeking protection from a storm, perhaps to shield a birth.  So, it seems, the first fabric came about through need of a wall, a bit of architecture, to shelter life.

What sort of fabric can shield us now from the storms brewed up by the human race? My loom, its design unchanged for centuries, seems small and old-fashioned in the face of such a task.

There will always be threads. Cotton and flax go on growing, sheep are grazing, wild silkworms, intent on giving life with more thread to strengthen the web of existence...gracefully emerge from self-spun cocoons.

From threads this loom and I make images and comfortable things to wear. The web of existence extending all around us consists of many unique strands interwoven, knitted, knotted, embroidered, matted and laid about in mysterious patterns.

Each strand, and each of us, holds an essential role in this vast, exquisite network.

Caroline Rackley's studio, Design Unlimited is located on the high mountain ranch in northeastern New Mexico where her craft experience began, growing up among saddle and furniture making, wilderness campsites, house/barn/fence building and carving, crocheted, knitted, embroidered handwork, sewing and weaving...an atmosphere in which life and craft went hand in hand.

A degree in Theatre Arts from San Francisco State College in 1964 introduced her to stage design and the creation of conceptual art and lighting for large public spaces. Textile training began in 1966 with her father John Rackley, followed by studies with Trude Guermonprez, James Bassler and Linda Moon-Stumpf.

Today, Caroline designs weavings for painted tapestry, domestic linens and furnishings.  On another tack, she enjoys playwriting and producing children's theatre. 

All rights belonging to the holder of the copyright, including the reproduction rights, shall remain with the Artist.

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