Kathleen Morris
Weaver
Toronto, Canada
Weaving plant life into textile structures
- Kathleen works primarily with linen, hemp and paper to create textured wall hangings
- Plant species gathered near her home in Toronto often become part of her woven works
- She has held board roles since 2013, to support the development of craft and visual art in Canada
Kathleen Morris is a Toronto-based weaver whose practice links hand manipulated textile structures with close observation of plant life. Trained at the Ontario College of Art and influenced by the fibre art movement of the 1960s and 1970s, she began her practice with wearable textiles using dye and resist techniques. "There came a point when I wanted to work on larger woven works," says Kathleen. Since 2017 she has incorporated locally gathered plant materials into her pieces, creating a botanical and geographical record of her immediate environment. Working with linen, hemp and paper, Kathleen supplements the discipline of loom-based construction with a tactile and intuitive process of direct manipulation of the yarn. "Sampling allows me to test structure, material and pattern before a final piece emerges on the loom," she shares.
INTERVIEW
Like many people of my generation, I learned textile skills early from my mother. A turning point came when I saw a large fibre art exhibition in Toronto as a teenager, with massive textiles hanging from the ceiling. Later I studied at the Ontario College of Art and began building a studio practice.
I am interested in understanding my own habitat. When I travel, I can admire plants elsewhere, but my emotional connection is with materials that grow close to home. I observe them closely and translate that knowledge into my practice with another material.
I work mainly with bast fibres such as linen and hemp. Increasingly I also use paper as the weft. The combination creates a stiff textile that shows pattern very clearly. I like neutral colours because they allow light and shadow to reveal the structure of the weave.
Weaving requires a plan because the loom is very structured and rule-based. I begin with a roadmap for the piece, but once the loom is set up there is room to intervene by hand, manipulating threads to alter pattern and texture as the fabric develops.
Kathleen Morris
Weaver
Toronto, Canada
ADDRESS
Address upon request, Toronto, Canada
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
LANGUAGES
English, French
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