How important was it to win the Reed T Cooper Bursary, to your career?

The Reed T Cooper Bursary is awarded to a mid-career artist.  I was fortunate enough to be selected for this award.  It provided me with the opportunity to experiment with a technique that I had learned several years prior when I took a course with Claire Benn and Leslie Morgan at the Crowe Barn in the United States.  Part of this course was on “paper lamination” and this provided me with all kinds of possibilities.

Seasons Memorabilia paper lamination

How did the Ontario Arts Council assist in the ‘Seasons of Life’?

The Ontario Arts Council awards grants to artists who are putting on art shows and this all tied in with the opening of my show “Seasons of a Life” produced from the experimental work from the Cooper Bursary.  They provided funds to help hang and advertise this show.

Discuss the meaning of the ‘Seasons of Life.’

Cooper Bursary.  They provided funds to help hang and advertise this show.

“Seasons of a Life” was work produced over one year and culminated with my show celebrating not only the work but my 70^th birthday.  I took pictures and memorabilia from my 70 years on this earth to produce work that corresponded with the four seasons.

Seasons Silk Stencil dyed

I had decided to use the memorabilia as my paper lamination stencil to produce four similar works but each showing the different seasons that we experience in Canada.  I wanted to work with silk organza because I thought once I had the four- season pieces done that I would dye the stencil and have yet another piece of work.  Unfortunately, the silk organza was not the best choice for the stencil as it broke down after four pulls, but I was still left with a piece that was accepted into several shows.

Comment on your thoughts, on how art can highlight environmental issues.

I live in one of the most beautiful areas of Ontario protected by the Niagara Escarpment as well, we are a World Biosphere area.  I believe nature plays an important role in art especially the colours that nature provides, I work in natural fibres only and the dyes and chemicals that I use are environmentally acceptable. 

Expand on this project) expanding on the four seasons of your life

and work.

I work primarily in silk for these art pieces.  While some of them are wearable the majority are just for show.

My very first large piece was made out of Tencel but I just find I love the feel and stability of the silk yarn as it is very strong and allows me to add multiple layers of colour and paint without compromising the cloth.

Spring Kimono Front

My very first large piece was made out of Tencel but I just find I love the feel and stability of the silk yarn as it is very strong and allows me to add multiple layers of colour and paint without compromising the cloth.

Spring Kimono Back

Summer Kimono Front

Summer Kimono back

Autumn Kimono Front

Autumn Kimono Back

Winter Kimono Front

Winter Kimono Back

How do you decide on the fiber you will use to weave a piece?

All of my cloth is handwoven and I use 2/20 silk sett at 30 threads to the inch.  The dyeing process is either done on the warp before the weaving starts or painted with dye after the weaving process.  This method allows me to blend the colours depending on the final effect that I want to achieve.

Discuss the size of your loom/ looms?

At the present time I have two looms, a Leclerc 36” counterbalance loom and a Schacht Baby Wolf. I was using a Leclerc Weavebird computerized loom but during Covid I decided to pass this loom along to someone who wanted to do more complicated weaving patterns.  I love to weave but my area of interest over the past twenty years has been to see what I can do with different techniques applied to the surface of my handwoven cloth therefore, the need for patterning comes from the surface design and not the weaving pattern.

Studio Image

What led you to weaving?

I am a Master Spinner and received my designation from the Ontario Handweavers and Spinners in 1983. Weaving was a natural progression from spinning because what do you do with all the yarn that you spin.  I used to use my handspun yarn but for me it was not cost effective.

Why has the kimono been such an influential shape for you?

The kimono shape is perfect for the work I do.  It has clean lines, simple shape, and the possibilities are endless with how you can treat the surface of the cloth.  To be clear, these are in no way a copy of the Japanese kimonos.  I had the privilege of studying an original kimono and to see the work of Itchiku Kubota a true master of the kimono.

Discuss color in your work.

I love colour.  I have taken numerous colour courses from instructors such as Jane Dunnewold of Texas, Claire Benn from the UK. Lyric Kinard from the US. and many others. To me it does not matter whether the colours are subtle or bright.  That is the joy of doing my own dyeing process, I can mix and match as much as I want to.  Being Canadian, especially in winter, we are surrounded by white, different shades of grey and the odd time, a few red berries or gold leaves will supplement the subtle shades.  This was particularly important in the piece “Ghosts of Winter”. This piece was based on the grey skies and the dark grey almost black of the branches of the trees but then you see the beech leaves that are still on the trees and they are almost transparent, and some are a subtle shade of gold.

Comment on the importance of being able to do your own dying.

I always dye and print both the front and back as well as the lining.  I was in a juried show of wearable arts when I first started weaving clothing and one of the jurors said that the inside should be as beautiful as the outside of the garment.  That stuck with me all these years.

In the past, I wove clothing, but the market was not there for me.  I live in a rural area of Ontario, and you just do not find a market for expensive clothing, and it was just getting too hard to travel the distance to Toronto or Ottawa for a weekend sale.  That is when I decided to turn my attention to art pieces.  While some of my kimonos can be worn, the later pieces because of the faces can’t be washed so therefore not recommended as clothing.

Take on piece and describe the impact of both the front and the back.

Detail

My latest work has faces appearing on the back of the garment.

Ghosts back 

Comment on the faces that subtly appear out of the kimonos.

These faces are first drawn on a piece of plastic then cheesecloth and white glue are used to form the face.  Once the face has dried, it is then sewn on the garment using invisible thread.  This technique was developed by Mary Pal an amazing textile artist who now resides in British Columbia.  I took a course from Mary and asked her if I could use this technique in my work and she gave me permission to do so.

Ghosts Front

How has your time at Seneca College influenced your work?

I took the Dressmaking Certificate Program at Seneca College because I felt that I did not know enough about sewing and tailoring to be able to sell my work.  It was a wonderful experience, in fact, I took several of the courses a couple of times because I enjoyed them so much.

Discuss how you embellish your work. (with close-up photos)

YOUR HATS….

Fur Hats being modelled

Why do you combine fiber in the weaving of your hats?

My hats started out as a way of using up my leftover handwoven materials. 

Comment on the trims you use.

I was fortunate to work with a Toronto Furrier who spent time showing me how to work with fur and I was able to purchase trims from him. I was also fortunate to have an indigenous trapper who provided me with pelts that I took to the furrier. The fur I used was raccoon or fox as they have the longer staple.  I never had restrictions put on my work because I used fur, I had comments about cruelty to animals mentioned to me, but these people do not understand the balance of nature.  I have several friends who are trappers, and they are the kindest people to animals as well as humans that you would ever want to meet.

Fur Hat & Scarf

In Canada do you have restrictions on the use of animal fur.

A lot of fur is now farmed.  Manufactured “fake” fur was not an option because it basically does not stand up to the wear and tear.  The oils on our skin make this type of fur clump together and it is hard to clean.

How has your environment influenced your hats?

I still have some fur and make hats if required but to be honest, our winters have not been cold enough for this type of hat. 

BANNERS….

Legacy installed

Discuss your banners and how long, some are and why?

The banners for the Legacy project were the idea of my neighbour who was making a full -sized killer whale skeleton from reclaimed cedar decking and siding.  He asked me to produce three banners that would hang above the whale to represent the diminishing salmon population because of logging in northern British Columbia.  Salmon are the mainstay of the killer whale.  I was intrigued by the possibilities of this project.

Legacy discharge layer

Each of the three banners is thirty-three feet long by thirty-eight inches wide and are made from very fine commercial silk.  I dyed the silk then made silk screens of the fish and discharged some of the fish then added blood spots on the background.

Legacy dyed and first layer of printing

Where were they used?

This was a six-month project and when finished, the Legacy project travelled around the province of Ontario and was last shown at the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto.

 Legacy banners being installed

How did you progress from spinning to spinning and weaving?

Do you find weaving therapeutic?

Weaving, especially the setting up of the loom is very therapeutic for me.  I know other weavers who find the weaving itself to be therapeutic.  I don’t spin anymore, and I feel sad about that, but you can’t fit everything into your life, and I still have so much to learn.  At this moment I have woven several lengths of cloth to be used in botanical printing.  This is a technique that I just started to learn last year, and I don’t know where it will take me, but it is fascinating to learn new techniques.

How influenced are you from learning and viewing traditional weaving techniques, especially of indigenous weaving?

When it comes to indigenous weaving techniques, I am in awe of what is created using simple tools.  I guess any weaver is influenced by ancient techniques and they just interpret them in their own way using the tools we have available today.

Tell the readers about your involvement in the World of Threads Festival.

I have had the good fortune to have my work juried into the World of Threads Festival since 2009. Dawne Rudman and Gareth Bate have produced the most incredible fibre festival.  This show has shown work from all over the world, and I have met some of these incredible artists at the opening of this show.  World of Threads is a biennial show, and any textile/fibre artist can submit their work for jurying.  The show is held at the Queen Elizabeth Community and Cultural Centre in Oakville Ontario, and you can find out all the information on their website. Worldofthreadsfestival.com

The importance of the word, World?  With today’s technology we can communicate with people all over the world and take online or in person courses from some of the most amazing instructors.  In this time of worldwide upheaval, we need to create art just to feel some sense of normalcy and connection

Contact:

Pat Burns – Wendland

Details:

Web . patburnswendland.com

Email – pat.burnswendland@gmail.com

Deborah Blakeley, Melbourne, Australia

Interview by Deborah Blakeley, February 2025

Images on these pages are all rights reserved by Pat Burns-Wendland