A visit to the TextielLab in The Netherlands gave American artist Hilary Brace the opportunity to translate her beautiful drawings into the medium of tapestry. The weavings are light reactive so the weavings change as the viewer moves position or the light source changes. “The image might move from appearing atmospheric or foggy to becoming very volumetric and tactile. The weavings are very alive, like light in nature is alive.”

Firstly where did you grow up and where do you live now? 

I was born and spent most of my life in the Seattle, WA area, except for a couple years when my family lived in Munich, Germany. The spectacular landscapes and weather events of the Northwest have undoubtedly influenced my imagery. I was so moved by the natural beauty there, even as a child. Visiting many museums in Europe made me respect and appreciate art from a young age. I moved to Santa Barbara for graduate school in 1985 and feel fortunate to still live here.

What is your background in art?

In high school I had a studio in the art department—a storage room that a friend and I were allowed to reclaim. So I was serious even then about being an artist. I was mostly interested in fiber arts and did some large quilted and embroidered batik wall pieces. I majored in art as an undergraduate and gradually turned my focus to painting. I liked the challenge of inventing images, of creating space within two dimensions, and it was a way to express my interest in light. My BFA (1983, WWU, Bellingham, WA) and MFA (1985, UC Santa Barbara) are both in Painting, but I’ve focused on drawing since graduate school.

You are an incredible artist. With your background mainly in drawing, what attracted you to weaving?

Thanks Helen. I had been inventing my images directly on the paper (or Mylar) surface for a long time, which made large drawings very time consuming. Then I discovered I could use the computer (Photoshop) as a drawing and composition tool, which allowed for more fearless exploration than endlessly erasing and redrawing on paper. I became really proficient at making digital drawings, but wanted to do something other than make prints or studies for charcoal drawings. When I was visiting a friend in Tilburg, NL, I went to the TextielMuseum there and got very excited by the wide array of samples in their TextielLab and the possibilities for making something that would interact with light in some way, and might also enhance the aspects of light and space already in my imagery. The TextielLab accepted my proposal to explore my imagery as light-reactive pieces, so six months later I returned to Tilburg and set to work with a developer in the Lab. 

How do you describe your work ?

I work from my imagination, so the images are of invented places that I try to bring to life. I’ve described my work as experiential. I want an image to unfold, and for the viewer—and myself—to be moved, mystified and/or confounded. It’s the same with the tapestries, but with the larger scale there’s an opportunity for a more physical relationship. Because the weavings are light-reactive, by using metallic, translucent and reflective threads, as the viewer changes position or the light source changes, the weavings can change significantly. The image might move from appearing atmospheric or foggy to becoming very volumetric and tactile. I’m thrilled with this because the weavings are very alive, like light in nature is alive. Both the image and the weaving provide a sometimes surprising experience.

How does having your weavings done in a different country work? Is it a smooth process or troublesome at times? 

The digital Jacquard rapier looms and software are incredibly sophisticated and capable of amazing things, plus the developers are super skilled creatives and technicians. Over about two months in Tilburg, I worked out how to finalize my digital drawings so the software driving the looms could best interpret them, and we explored various thread combinations. My thread combination is fixed, unless I return to explore more options, which I hope to do. I’m very happy with my results, but it still took quite some time working from a distance (using FedEx to return tests) for me to refine my drawing technique. With each image, I still need to have the the full pieces rewoven after adjusting my drawing (sometimes a couple times, ouch) before I’m satisfied. 

How do you create your images for a weaving? 

I rarely have an idea of what an image will be when I start working toward either a drawing or tapestry image. My process is similar when working directly on paper for small drawings, or when making a digital study or digital drawing for a weaving. I start with a kind of chaotic soup, moving, adding and subtracting lights and darks or small elements until an image suggests itself, then it slowly comes into focus as I clarify both the place depicted and how the composition functions. I love the process of inventing another world and creating a sense of space. Drawings for the weavings pose a different and additional challenge from making prints, for instance, due to both the scale and medium. The tapestry drawings must be super finely detailed, more graphic and some elements exaggerated in order to achieve the details and sense of space I want in the weavings, plus it takes some predicting and guesswork about what will show up.

How long does a piece take from conception to the finished art work?

The digital drawings take me at least two months plus revisions. Since my thread combination is set, the weaving process itself is spectacularly fast—the looms I’m using are just mind boggling—it is impossible to even see the rapiers moving across the warp, which is 6,114 threads on a 170 cm width (approx. 66 in.). The weft threads are stored in large cone canisters that can adjust to threads of various sizes and textures—from thin silk to metal, and even rubber. Scheduling time with the developer to process my file and oversee the weaving is the main issue with production now, as working with the TextielLab is very much in demand among a wide range of artists and designers.

What are you most proud of in your art career so far?

Frankly, that I’ve simply been able to continue making my work steadily for decades and that it keeps getting better. The recognition I’ve had from awards like a Guggenheim Fellowship have provided lasting encouragement. 

Some people feel that machine woven textile art isn’t always the same quality as handwoven weaving. What are your thoughts on this?

I’m assuming you mean how well crafted something is, which is one way of thinking about quality. As someone who makes finely crafted drawings in a traditional medium (charcoal is arguably the oldest art medium), I understand reservations that traditional makers have about attention given to what is “new,” and their concern about respect for craft being lost. But digitally driven Jacquard looms can probably do anything and more than was possible with old punchcard driven looms. Few would deny the care and skill that goes into a traditionally made tapestry or other handwoven weavings, or believe that new technologies are a direct replacement for those processes—where there’s also the potential for plenty of range in quality. I actually see respect for fiber arts growing, with more contemporary art galleries showing (clearly) hand-made fiber arts of all kinds. So the creative tools, options and language are broadening and always changing. We could all get more preoccupied thinking about the changes that AI will bring to art and design!

Do you have any advice for aspiring textile artists?

For anyone interested in creative arts, don’t worry about questions like the one above; just make something that best expresses what you care about, to your own highest standards.

www.hilarybrace.com

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