In the past two years, experimenting with the different kinds of weavings there are (ikats, woven shibori, double weaves, etc) I have become particularly interested in the colors and ideas that come out of the culture of India. I have currently been working on ideas that I will be able to portray in my fibers class for next semester. I have yet to incorporate both surface design and weaving together, except for the simple dying of a white cotton warp. So next semester I am hoping to mend the two together to help me with my ideas.

The first sketch on the left is of an Indian elephant. Elephants being my favorite animal, I created this image as an idea for a silk screen 1- for a printmaking project but 2- also for an idea that may evolve for a weaving as well. I would take the silk screen and print it over the weaving, giving the image more texture behind it. With this idea I wish to also include some current colors or ideologies from our culture.

The second sketch on the left is a layout for a weaving I have already started. With the ideas that come out of India, one we are all familiar with is that of karma. After doing research on the idea, the "purple flame" is one that is supposedly charged with the "light of divine freedom." It burns off karma to come in other lifetimes. I am taking this idea and connecting it with colors that I feel represent this idea in our culture. Sketches for weavings are very simple- seeing as how most patterns that are seen in weavings come from books, the only options are the colors and types of yarns that you use. I am using a pattern that is wavy, and after the weaving is complete I plan to embroider on top of it a pattern of flames of a fire (hence

the quick sketch of flames on the bottom of the page) to give my piece more movement and make it more coherent.

Since my time in drawing 2 and projects with self portraiture, my new doodle while being bored is parts of the face, in particular the eye. The reality that is possible to portray amazes me. To the left is just one of my quick doodles during a class when I was bored, from imagination. I love to try and portray the roundness of the eye. As you can see I always number the sketch to keep in my own mind how many I have drawn, and to keep for my own record in the future. I like to make note of different ways I can improve my sketches as well.

One artist that I have been looking at, particularly for color choices is Julie Evans. She has worked in India, and borrowed the color palettes from the country since the start of her career. Though she works with miniature paintings, she inspires me to use the colors from the Indian culture and add some of my own instincts to pair these colors with others in my weavings.

http://www.saulgallery.com/chronicle/evans_2007.html

http://www.saulgallery.com/evans/statement.html

Another artist I have just recently come upon is Shrikant Kadam. He is an Indian artist who uses the exact colors I always imagine to go along with the Indian culture. He is inspired by nature (who isn't?) and uses abstract forms to portray his ideas. He has made me think that to convey my ideas I could also use these simple, very bold colors, to create a piece that is abstract to the point where you don't know what it is at all, yet the viewer would know that the inspiration came from the Indian culture.

http://shrikantkadam.com/default.asp?pageno=1