Artist Statement
Once upon a time, almost every civilization on the face of the earth understood masks and used masks in some part of their life, as a tribe or group. They understood that there is an enlivening force inside us that is really who we are, that our skin, our face, our identity is really a mask, and that these things are a manifestation of the spirit behind all creation.
For me, each face I weave embodies a reminder of the common thread that weaves us all together. I feel this is my work, to envision and create a narrative for myself that includes intellectual, spiritual and cultural threads.
As I weave, I imagine the vertical threads – the warp, as an expression of my values: our natural divinity, our need to do meaningful work, our capacity to love.
Each face is woven by combining those vertical values with the horizontal actions of my daily life. As I am mindful of how my thoughts affect what I do, I do not plan my weaving. I feel my way through it instead of thinking out a design. I connect with my materials, by spinning straight from the island fleeces, by dyeing my yarns with plants, roots and flowers from my yard and garden. When I finally pull the warp threads together and see a new being appear, I feel deeply connected to the work of my ancestors and the spirit of the masks that have been created throughout history.
– Susan Barrett Merrill
Susan Barrett Merrill's Textile Sculpture for Purchase
Weaving a Life
The inner life is like the vertical warp on a loom. The weft of our daily acts weave through our inner values and beliefs with each moment. The warp in a tapestry is hidden beneath the weft, but it is the warp that provides the inner strength to the fabric. Our inner being provides the strong guiding threads on which the pattern of our lives is woven.
Susan combines her expertise as a hand weaver and creativity coach to offer leadership training in the Weaving a Life process for those who wish to teach this process in their own communities.
Working with our hands to weave on a handheld Journey EarthLoom®, we align with our values in a process of recognizing, receiving, and living in harmony with our own deepest truths.
What You Experience With Weaving a Life
First we connect the vertical threads of our body from Earth to sky. The horizontal threads are woven with every thought and movement in and out of time, day and night as we live our lives. When you feel those colors and that fabric emerging whole, forming under your fingers, you begin to understand your own real nature, empowering you to choose again, to experience a new perspective as you create. Weaving a Life is a personal process for revealing the vision and gifts you already hold inside.