I have been weaving and designing woven cloth for four years. I am convinced that there are possibilities for visual expression that have not been explored in weaving and I am determined to develop a new woven language.

As a matter of identity, I am drawn to the female form, natural textures, and curves. Because woven cloth exists on the fixed grid of warp and weft, curves have traditionally been challenging for weavers. Curves are joyful to me, and I cannot conceive of my work without them.

Many elements of my work imply layering and folding which reveal hidden places where identity and meaning can be obscured. We are searching and literally bending toward identity and meaning. This process of folding and unfolding can bring us to our own truth.

These ideas have always been present in my work and they continue to excite me in weaving.

Weaving was always a cooperative craft sometimes literally passing the shuttle from women to women across the loom. It requires the shepardess, the carder to prepare the wool, the spinner, the dyer, and the weaver. Melissa and I have developed a way of working that is extremely supportive and joyful. We have vastly different ways of approaching problems which is our great strength.

Bio

McCrystle Wood is a fiber artist, painter, and printmaker who received her BFA and MFA Degrees from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Her fine arts work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and is included in more than 40 museums and public collections. A professor emeritus in the University of Cincinnati in the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning since 1976, she was coordinator of the Foundation Studies Program teaching drawing, 2D and 3D Design for many years; she also served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and Interim Director of the School of Design.