Scultping beyond the loom
- Tammy is a self-taught textile sculptor crafting unique hanging pieces
- Her works are exhibited at the Gallery Sally Dan Cuthbert
- Inspired by nature, her fibre comes from excess wool stock
Immersed in nature, working from her home studio or houseboat, Tammy Kanat is an artisan who trusts her intuition to craft large, sculptural fibre artworks. Her pieces are richly layered with texture and colour, as a result of extensive free play and experimentation. Tammy is passionate about colour and sources around 50% of her wool and fibre from excess stock. Each creation is uniquely crafted, coming together in a fast-moving process led by intuition. "Even as I am making, I am unsure how the final piece will look," she shares. Starting from the centre of the work, Tammy builds the textural heart and soul of the artwork. Then, in a rapid crescendo of movement and inspiration, she picks up coloured threads and yarns and weaves, ties and knots them, adding texture and volume with hitches and tassels.
Interview
- What are you inspired by?
- Nature, spirituality and my life feed into my works, although it is mostly an intuitive practice. There is so much unknown in my process and this gives me a real freedom, as I am often not actually trying to create anything specific.
- How do you know which colours to use?
- At the beginning of the making process, I am quite contemplative, and then it just happens. With my wool in front of me, a colour will just come to me, and then another colour will join, and draw in another colour, and so on.
- Did you learn any formal weaving techniques?
- I learnt at the Australian Tapestry Workshop, where I was taught some traditional weaving techniques. But for the most part, I just play and trust the wool. After buying a loom and some wool, it gained momentum like a snowball. I was hooked and have never stopped since!
- Up to now, what is your most influential series?
- My most recent series, Circle of Her, at the Jewish Museum of Australia, is pushing what can be done with sculpture and fibre. My pieces hang from the ceiling, so there is an invitation to walk around them, and then alongside them.
Tammy Kanat is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2016
Works
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Tammy Kanat
