Profile

 Taking two sets of threads and interlacing them at right angles to one another to form a fabric, and the mechanism and process involved in this is what fascinates Charlotte.  The end result is a fabric which might be a scarf or might be an artwork.  For her it is an endless exploration of the relationship between structure, materials and colour.

Charlotte is particularly interested in using crepe yarns. These are yarns that are over twisted.  Such yarns are woven in the normal way but during the finishing process of the fabric the extra twist is released and the fabric 'collapses' making it stretchy.  With careful use of the weave structure the fabric distorts, and it is this distortion that she is seeking to exploit, to create interesting textures and surfaces in the fabric. Colour also can be used in a way that enhances the effect by highlighting  the distortions.

The materials she uses are of course very important to her.  Charlotte enjoys making a fabric such as a scarf which drapes well and feels good to wear.  But also she is looking for material that are interesting to use; that have a character of their own.  These include wire, paper yarns or horsehair.

Charlotte's framed work is inspired by rural landscape spaces, and in particular coastal regions, with cliffs and coves that are found on parts of the south coast of England.  The strong sense of the horizontal of the sea and the horizon and the vertical of the cliffs connects for her with the warp and weft of the weaving process that has been at the centre of her practical work. She is also interested in using stitch techniques to examine details of the landscapes; the layering of rocks in a cliff face.

In her weaving Charlotte is using weave structures such as multi layered cloths; literally two or three layer of cloth woven simultaneously and interconnected with each other creating pockets between the layers. Again one layer is woven with a crepe yarn usually silk. As the cloth is washed in hot water the extra twist in the yarn is released and doubles back on itself shrinking the overall cloth and creating sculptural shapes and spaces in the form of ridges and valleys in the weaving. 

Charlotte Grierson - b Gallery