Event: Exhibition in Stromness, Orkney - 15 to 27 April 2017
The Weaver by Joan Baxter
The Weaver Woven tapestries by Joan baxter From a short story by George Mackay Brown
15 - 27 April 2017
Northlight gallery, Stromness Graham Place, Stromness, Orkney, KW16 3BY
Open 11.00 am - 5.00 pm daily except Sundays
THE EXHIBITION
The 23 small woven pieces that make up this exhibition are inspired by a short story, 'The Weaver', by George Mackay Brown. Although these pieces have been exhibited on the Isle of Lewis, mainland Scotland, Denmark and India, they have yet to be exhibited in the landscape that inspired them. ' It is very important to me that the tapestries be seen by Orcadians in the town where the author of the story lived and this is why I am delighted to be presenting them at Northlight in April' says Joan. The story describes the yearly round of island life, ploughing, fishing, shearing, through the eyes of the old weaver. Once he was famous for the beautiful cloths he wove but now he only weaves 'grey cloths for crofters and fishermen'. His young sweetheart died long ago when they were both young and the whole story is shot through with her loss. 'My aim in weaving this body of work was to try to interpret in weave, the multi-layered meanings and beautifully expressive language of this deceptively simple story.'
THE ARTIST
Joan Baxter is an internationally renowned tapestry artist, a graduate of Edinburgh College of Art and Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts, who lives in Brora, Sutherland.
