Helwell Bay 2

Helwell Bay 2

An original textile artwork by Bec Briar.

Inspired by the shifting colours, geological forms and meeting of land and sea at Helwell Bay on the Somerset coast, this woven artwork is an exploration of landscape through wool.

Working with the natural character of British wool and the possibilities of traditional weaving, my aim was to translate an observed place into a composition of colour, texture and line.

Rooted in the landscape that surrounds The Woven Briar, the work reflects an approach to textile making in which material, place and process are inseparable, something which informs my larger textile pieces.

The rocks and contours of the beach at low tide are reflected in cloth, using my own flock of rare and primitive sheep breeds grown in nearby Wiveliscombe.

The piece also features yarn from crofts in North Ronaldsay, where their own primitive sheep have evolved to eat seaweed and live on the coast.

The warp threads are longwools born and bred on the Quantocks a mile or so from Helwell Bay.

My weaving explored different textures, natural colours and natural lines in the rocks, red clay and sand and the horizon; liminal spaces, ever changing.