Isabel Tipton
My roots are deep in Metchosin, and my interest in textiles started before I went to school, my grandmother having taught me to knit and to do simple embroidery stitches.
As an adult I took up weaving and spinning, but my sewing was mainly practical garment making.
As arthritic knees took over, the loom gave way to the sewing machine as an artistic medium.
My current interest is in exploring all the possibilities inherent in a piece of cloth or fibre.
Whether the fabric is handwoven, raw fibre, commercial or a one of a kind textile, my ability to manipulate, colour, stitch, burn, and layer provides endless work and pleasure.
I live in the country and the landscape that surrounds me inspires many of my textile pieces.
My work is both realistic and abstract, the end product useful and practical or purely ornamental.
I see no end to this journey, as there is always another bend in the road, another path to be followed, another piece of cloth and another technique to explore, examine and adapt.