30/04/2026
With two days to go until our Spring Open Weekend, the studios are looking busy! We spoke to Weaver about her work for our 5 Questions with the Artist feature…
Q: How would you describe your work in 10 words or less?
A: Weave, rust, indigo, natural yarn, thread, space, fragility, landscape, stories,
Q: What is your most loved tool in the studio?
A: My weave shuttle, over the years (I bought it when doing my degree at Chelsea School of Art in 1993, the wood has a gentle sheen, it is smooth and warm to the touch from my hands and the cloth and it can fly when in a rhythm.
Q: What do you love about open studios?
A: Seeing the look of wonder when people enter the door and see my majestic looms for the first time, conversation, watching children weave on a ‘proper’ loom.
Q: What is your go to listening companion in the studio?
A: Materials Matters by Grant Gibson. .matters_grantgibson or the many wonderful series provided as part of my Art Ladder mentoring subscription with Parker Harris.
My guilty pleasure is radio 4’s “Add to Playlist” with Jeffrey Boakye and Cerys Matthews
Q: Finally, what might surprise people about your practice?
A: How physically demanding it can be depending on the loom. People imagine it as calm and meditative (and it can be) but working a loom—especially a large floor loom—requires coordination, leg strength, and rhythm. It’s closer to playing a full-body instrument than doing a quiet craft.
Weaving is also incredibly ancient and global. It dates back thousands of years across cultures—from Andean backstrap weaving to Navajo weaving—yet many of the core techniques haven’t fundamentally changed.
And finally, there is a philosophical twist: weaving forces patience in a way few modern activities do. You can’t rush it without compromising the result, which makes it feel almost rebellious in a fast-paced world.
