PATTERNS AND TONES

"Lora David" 2017 from the Home as Hat series Much like the hand made  Vietnamese leaf hat known as  Nón Lá , this conical hat I wove for this image was inspired by the Nón Bái Tho , the "Poetical Leaf" hat from Hue in Central Vietnam. On the inside of each hat poems  were woven into the very fibers of the hat. When you lift the hat up to the sun, you could read romantic poems, provers or old sayings in the shadows!!! This variation of the palm leaf and bamboo hat is a cone consisting of sixteen bamboo ribs with palm leaves stitched into place with thread made from reed. A verse of poetry was usually cut from the palm leaf and inserted in between the layers.  Modern versions also include paper shapes as well as poetry. Hats cover, protect and shelter us when we are out in the elements much like our homes. This particular version I created this week has finally started to express the visual narrative I was hoping to achieve. Next ste...

"Catherine Butler" 2017 from Home as Hat series I've always been intrigued by the woven conical Vietnamese Leaf Hat known as  Nón Lá . Its symmetrical cone shape is extremely efficient at keeping the elements away from the face making it a personal sun roof! Traditionally woven from palm leaves, bark or bamboo, these hats (which have been around for centuries) can also be found in other Southeast Asian countries but is attributed mainly to the farm workers in Vietnam. When stitching the home above, I was struck by the same conical shape emerging from the roof line. I selected the yellow yarn to help emphasis the shape and color of this traditional hat. I added color to the base to separate it from the hat, as if it were the silk chin strap used to hold the hat in place. There was a palm tree sticking up behind the roof line, so I thought I would embellish the image with a vine-like flourish, tying the local flora to the very material originally used to make the hat...