'Alive' Woven Wall Hanging with Driftwood and Copper Frame

Materials: Oexo Tex certified cotton, wool, Authentic Harris Tweed

Hand Made Nature Paints: River rocks, Titanium White Rutile, Burnt Sienna and Ultramarine Blue

Crystals: Pyrite, Agate

Dimensions: 18in H x 17.5in W (w/frame) 13.5in H x 14in W (w/o frame)

'Alive' is inspired by a clifftop in Scotland on the Isle of Skye. The cliff is located right on the ocean, beside a ruined castle that's over a thousand years old. The energy while standing on the cliff is very busy. It feels very active, almost like the lives that were lived over the centuries were still in progress, they just can't be seen. Like a very thin veil into a time portal. There was a village with trades people and merchants, dirt clearings where the heather and native grasses had taken over. The wind howled and the ocean waves crashed vigorously onto the rocky shore. It felt ancient and alive. 

'Alive' is the sister piece to 'What Remains.' Both cliffs are side by side on the Isle of Skye, but they each had their own presence. This cliff felt very active, like the history was still unfolding in present day. Even the waves were much more active, crashing on the beach as opposed to the the sister cliff just a few feet away where the waves were gentling lapping on the beach. 

The weaving was designed to give the perspective of standing in between the two cliffs gazing out at the land around. Harris Tweed was woven into the piece to capture the essence of the land. Harris Tweed has an extensive history, made by hand (not machine) in the Outer Hebrides. Once the heavily textured weaving was completed, additional depth was added by painting on shadows and highlights with nature made paints. The paints were made by foraging for materials and carefully sourcing fine art pigments to expand on the color palette. The foraged materials underwent an extensive process of grinding, sifting, precipitation, and mulling to create fine art grade pigments. Additional details were added on-top of the layers of natural paint and textured weaving by embroidery. The heather, rocks and waves were hand embroidered to enhance the realistic look of the piece. Much like in nature, the grand picture is not complete without the tiny details. 

The woven wall hanging was then finished off with a custom made driftwood and copper frame. The Authentic Harris Tweed tag is sewn into the back of the piece. 

About the materials: 

All fibers are natural, eco-friendly and were sourced from a woman owned business. The Harris Tweed was purchased from a small woman owned business on the Isle of Lewis and Harris, Scotland. The authentic Harris Tweed tag has been sewn into the back of the weaving. The driftwood frame was foraged on the beach local to the artist's home. 

Natural Paints: the paints used in this piece are made from river rocks (found locally), Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Sienna and Titanium White Rutile 

Harris Tweed: Harris Tweed began as a woman's business and grew to a global brand with the support of other prominent women during a time when the patriarchy was very much alive. 

In 1843 on the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, two sisters, known as "The Paisley Sisters" were creating tweed that attracted the attention of a prominent woman, Lady Catherine Herbert. Lady Catherine Herbert was so impressed with the fine quality of

weaving that she commissioned the sisters to create outfits for members in employ on her estate. The fabric proved to be durable in the Scottish weather and well suited for common practice activities of the time such as hunting and riding. Lady Catherine Herbert was close friends with Queen Victoria and after sharing the luxurious fabric with her the sisters were quickly put to work traveling for addtional training and education and sharing their knowledge with others. As their tweed grew in popularity The Harris Tweed Authority was created to ensure that all Harris Tweed was made to very exacting standards, such as made by hand (not machine powered looms) from pure virgin wool hand or mill spun on the island. After the material is sent to the Harris Tweed Authority it is inspected and stamped if it meets the quality standards. The weaver or store is then given tags that can be used to identify that it is Harris Tweed. 

Shipping: Please allow 5-7 days to prepare for shipping.

Care: Do not hang in direct sunlight. Dust frame with dry rag as needed. Do not use soaps or chemicals to clean. To hang place one nail or screw in each of the top corner of the frame.