Peg Silloway: A Peek into her Process.

How do artists make art?  The answer is as unique as the art and artist.  And on the Washington County Open Studios tour October 17^th and 18^th, you get a peek behind the scenes into the art making process.  Every artist is opening up their studio to you, showing you their materials, inspirations and demonstrating what they do and how they create art.

Here’s a quick peek into one of our 41 artists on this year’s tour.

Peg, when you begin your work, what inspires you and/or gets you going?

“Like many artists I usually have more ideas than time, so I have to narrow it down at the start by deciding what I want to weave and which yarns to use. Is it going to be something wearable or for the home? Is it something I will offer for sale or is it a gift? Once I've chosen what it will be I define the size. If it is a scarf, how long will it be and how wide? Is it for wearing outside in super cold weather or will it be worn inside, too, as an accessory? Is it for a man or woman or child? Then the fun begins - choosing the yarns! I look at what I have in my "stash" - do I want to use a hand-dyed merino and silk or should this item be made from silky Tencel or bamboo or something else entirely, and do I have enough to make the piece? And what pattern - what combination of threading and treadling and which loom will I use? Then come the threading and setting up the loom to match my chosen pattern. Whew! No wonder they say that 50% of weaving is getting ready to weave!”

How did you find your way to art, Peg, in spite of any obstacles in your path?

“In grade school I learned that I could not draw so I was not an artist. In junior high school I got to try hammered copper and slip-cast ceramics, and realized that there was more to art than paint and charcoal. In college I took a variety of art classes and found that I am a 3-D person. Painting and drawing are not for me, but give me some metal and beads, or a pottery wheel and some clay, or even a torch and some sheet copper, and I'm happy. I studied fabric dyeing and jewelry making and repeatedly signed up for a weaving course, but it never got enough enrollments to run. Later a stained glass course at a local studio did lead to several years of happy work with those luminous colors, and I began a part-time business doing craft shows and commissions with my glass. The reality of a life in art and craft is that there are still bills to be paid, so my "real" job was as a C.P.A and then project and program management for an IT consulting company. 

All of this was in Maryland and the D.C. area. In 2011 my husband and I realized we wanted to find a better, more rational and less pressured way of life. We were both at "retirement" age and ready to shed the stress of living in the mid-Atlantic corridor. Portland beckoned and we moved. Within two days of arriving we found our house in Beaverton - the large light-filled room that is now my studio made the decision easy! We joined the local Beaverton Area Chamber of Commerce and through that connection I learned about the weaving classes offered by the Multnomah Arts Center. Finally I could learn to weave!

In these past four years there have been some very happy days here, and some very sad ones as my husband passed away after a brief illness in 2013. In that time I was not able to take classes but I did continue to weave at home and found it very therapeutic. In January 2014 I went back to regular classes and continue to weave both at home and in class. The community of weavers has been my second family through all of this and continues to be a great source fun, laughter, and encouragement.”

Peg do you use a weird, different material or technique and how does that inspires you?

“I love to combine different types of yarns to see what will happen both to the color combinations and also the textures. That is one of the fascinating aspects of weaving, that when you weave to yarns together you rarely have a good idea of what will happen with the colors. It's a common practice to put enough warp (the threads that go lengthwise) on the loom to weave several similar items. The color of the weft yarn (the threads that the weaver adds going across the warp) can cause dramatic changes to the appearance of each finished piece so that each is quite distinctive. I'm also fond of adding just a touch of "bling" - a little bit of metallic yarn or thread - to brighten a piece. And because I don't like to make the same thing twice, every item I weave is one of a kind.”

When people come to your studio, Peg, what part of your process will they see?

“Visitors to the Silloway Weaving Studio will see all parts of the weaving process. Certainly a wide variety of yarns that they can touch and compare. Also the steps in my weaving process from the design of the piece, measuring the yarn needed on the warping board, creating a warp chain to keep all the threads under control until they are on the loom, threading a loom, preparing the treadles, and the actual weaving. They will meet my four looms - Helen, Florence, Janet, and Nana - and learn why they are all named for women in my family. They will even be able to try weaving on a rigid heddle loom, a great chance for young people to have hands-on fun.”

Peg, can you describe what is unique and inspiring about your studio set up? 

“My Silloway Weaving Studio is filled with light, color, and texture! I'm fortunate to have a large room with lots of windows and French doors that open on to the deck outside. It is full of yarns, looms, and all the things that help inspire me. Some might call it cluttered, I call it having my favorite things around. There are yarns of all sorts and colors, of course, but art glass, quilts, framed reverse applique fabric pieces, stained glass, music, and sometimes one or two cats depending on where they have chosen to sleep.”

See Peg making art and get inspired during the 2015 Washington County Open Studios tour October 17 and 18 from 11am to 5pm.  Get a FREE tour map and information online at www.washcoart.org