Aran handwoven wheel wall art
The wildness and rawness of the Wild Atlantic weaves into the story and culture of the Aran Islands.
Material: Aran wool, Irish wool
Dimensions: 42 cm sq
€600
Welcome to my “Aran Series” handwoven wheel wall art collection. The Aran Series is a special series of woven art pieces that celebrate the histories and traditions or Aran wool, along with the flora and shorescape of the Old Head of Kinsale. The second in the collection is a real beauty, sharing a deep story, as so many of my pieces do, so read on if you’d like to emerge yourself into a world of belonging and place…
This handwoven wheel wall art was inspired by a bag of wool I received from a 94 year old knitter. Her eye sight has failed and she sent me the wool, along with the pattern. I was so touched by her gesture, yet I was also touched by the idea that this wool never got to be made into the jumper, never got to be worn.
As I usually do with all of my pieces, I lay the wool down on (what I call) my ‘Creative Altar’. Over the next few weeks, I intuitively collected stones and rocks that spoke to me whilst on my daily walk. As the materials infused over time, I started thinking about the history of the Aran jumper. Families of fishermen living on the Aran Islands off the West Coast of Ireland would have their own patterned jumpers. Each clan had a distinct pattern. The men would wear them going out to sea, keeping them warm, as the women would knit their sweaters out of care and love and bless the jumpers to keep the fishermen safe at sea. Sadly, if a fisherman was lost at sea, his identity could be revealed through the patterns on his jumper.
It made me think about small tight knit communities. About how care was expressed amongst its people. I considered this sense of belonging, which was so evident by the patterns on the jumper. I also considered our connection to our environment and how we are in an ever evolving relationship with the natural forces around us.
How do we explore this sense of belonging today? How do we belong in our fragile human bodies, knowing and caring for ourselves? And how does this love emanate out into our communities, the places we live or come from?
Each of the ‘Aran Series’ handwoven wheel wall art is based on a intuitive a unique pattern, a unique set of colours. I feel, in some way, that these are navigational aids, allowing us to find our way home.
As I wove the piece, I would set an intention of finding my way back to me and to this land I call home. Once completed, the piece sat on the wall for several weeks, speaking to me in unspoken words. I intuitively chose plant essences, thyme and dog rose, and dowsed the wools in the final ritual. What really struck me was the dog rose contains the essence of ‘oneness’. It dissolves our sense of separation from others and the world around us and connects us to source. And this connects us nicely to the essence of Thyme. This essence is known as the ‘Gentle Warrior’ and gives us the courage and will to engage with life. Perhaps once we realise we are connected to source, we can move out into the world from our centred selves, owning our stories and opening to compassion.
