Linda Watson, PhD
I grew up in a creative family. My mother was a mosaic artist, quilter, and stitcher. My dad was a house painter who was known for being able to match any color. My brother, who was 15 years older than me, never quite found his creative niche, but a camera was usually along on his frequent hunting and fishing trips. In addition to being creative, we were also a dysfunctional family. What all of this gave me was an unending source of stories and the creative initiative to do something with them.
I majored in art in college, settled on weaving as my chosen media, and spent more than 20 years teaching in the system and playing the art game. I loved it; I’m not complaining. But, that life took its toll, and finally, in 1992, I left the whole thing to work full-time in my studio. I wouldn’t say that I’ve accomplished that yet, but so far it’s been an adventurous and satisfying path. One of those adventures was going back to school at the age of 50 and getting a doctoral degree. The program was Mythological Studies at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Carpinteria, California. My dissertation was titled, “Old Technology, New Technology: Warp, Weft and the World Wide Web.” I was, and still am, interested in how a technology like weaving, which very few people today in this culture have any idea about, remains such a powerful metaphor. “The fabric of our lives,” “weaving a life,” “the threads that connect us,” are all potent images in common use. Interesting, especially when you consider that when I tell people I’m a weaver, the look they give me is anything but understanding.
Weaving, quite simply, fascinates me. I love the threads, the looms, the weaving drafts, the textiles themselves and the history. I love the way that weaving is an ancient technology, a myth, a story, a history, a noun and a verb. I love that it’s a part of our language today and that there are still a few of us around who actually weave. I imagine myself, wizened and gasping, in my 90s, saying, “No, no, I can’t go yet, God. I’ve still got that warp to weave off.” It’s a good way to live.
Wonderful blog! I look forward to reading more!