Audrey Ducas

Name: Audrey Ducas

Studio location: Portland, Oregon

Website / social links: audreyweaves.com, @audrey.weaves

Loom type or tool preference: Tapestry loom, pedal loom

Years weaving: 30+ (perhaps 33 but we can say 30)

Fiber inclination: All natural fibers

Current favorite weaving book: The Weaving Primer by Nina Holland

 

 

1. How did you discover weaving and was what your greatest resource as a beginner?

I discovered weaving as a child. I found a tiny bead loom and started to play with it. I was a very crafty child and intuitively understood how to make it work. From then on, I used different tools and materials, cutting strips of papers, yarns, etc. and wove with them. So for the basic (plain weave), I’m self-taught. For the more advanced techniques, I learned it all when I went to art school and then design school. My teachers as well as a very observant eye were my greatest resources (I can spend hours looking at fabric’s construction and try to understand it).

2. How do you define your practice – do you consider yourself an artist / craftsperson / weaver / designer / general creative or a combination of those? Is this definition important to you?

The definition isn't important to me. I trained as both a textile artist and a textile designer. I studied in art school in Aubusson in France (it's said to be the world's capital of tapestry) then in industrial design school in Paris where I earned a masters in textile design. So I've gone back and forth between various labels, depending on the industry I evolve in. Nowadays I introduce myself as a "textile artist", hoping to make it easy for people to get the idea that I work with fibers, colors and that I make unique pieces.

3. Describe your first experience with weaving.

Being crafty and making art as a child was quite profound. It was my way of getting centered, connecting to something that was deep inside of me, to nurture myself, and to understand the complexity of what it means to be human. I've also always been obsessed with beauty (whatever that means to me, this is a very subjective concept) and being able to create my own version of it was incredible.

I come from the south of France, from a family of factory workers, I was exposed to little and I had no idea at that time one could study (especially art and design). When I was teenager and it crossed my mind that there must be people who create the textiles we wear and ornate our houses with, I did all the research possible to understand how I could make it possible for myself. The moment I found out it's something I could study and do as a job was one of the most joyful experiences of my life (aside from my family's disapproval, eek!). To this day, I still have a hard time believing how my life unfolded. It literally took many 180 degrees turns in so many ways, thanks to my passion for textiles.

4. What is your creative process, from the initial idea to the finished piece? Are there specific weave structures, looms, or fibers that are important to your process?

My creative process is completely intuitive. Although I get totally nerdy about weaving structures, my tapestries are like free flowing drawings. I don't plan anything. Each piece unfolds itself to me as I go. It's like a conversation between my subconscious and my conscious, between the yarns and myself. I use weaving as a wellness tool that helps me process and integrate all my layers, and the ones of those around me. It helps me stay in my sovereignty. And it feels endless. To be honest, when I started to weave the tapestries, it was for myself. I never thought I'd show them to the world. I thought the only work that would make it outside of my house would be design related.

A few years ago, someone close to me showed my work to some art collectors in NY and they started to buy pieces. And I decided to make my voice a little more official very recently only. I'm still slowly stepping out of my weaving shell.

 5. Does your work have a conceptual purpose or greater meaning? If so, do you center your making around these concepts?

Weaving has been one of my greatest teachers. I don't have anything in mind aside from connecting to what is deep inside of me and learning whatever wants to come up when I start a piece. Weaving has taught me how parameters and strict boundaries (the loom and the warp) allow creativity and exploration to blossom. My willingness to allow for un-woven spaces, to weave outside of the warp, and to take detours and get intimate with abstract details reflects my drive to explore deeply one's inner landscape and its duality.

I see weaving as a conversation between the permanent and the impermanent, the organized and the chaotic, stillness and playfulness, and the unshakable verticality of the earth-divine plane (steady warp) against the horizontality of the human plane (dynamic weft). The pieces become stories of an instinctual nature where the occasional twist and turns of the weft bring emotions, questions and perhaps understanding to the surface.

 

6. What is your favorite part of the weaving process and why? What’s your least favorite?

I have two favorite parts. The first one is when I'm the middle of a creation. It feels like a lot has unfolded, yet there's so much more that wants to be explored and it feels exciting to me. The second part is when I'm just about to be finished and I see the piece working as a whole. It feels like I'm looking at a brand new story. My least favorite part is finishing the piece. It takes such a long time, and it's no longer creative. Just a work of patience which I sometimes lack.

7. Do you sell your work or make a living from weaving? If so, what does that look like and how has that affected your studio practice?

I do sell my work although at the moment it doesn't provide for all my needs. I've also been selling woven jewelry and recently launched a tiny weaving kit. Last year (as I was selling quite a bit of work) I had a breakthrough and realized I'm as interested in providing people with the tools that have been instrumental for my own self development as I am in selling my own work. My passion for textiles runs as deep as my passion for spirituality and self knowledge. I'm also a mediation and yoga teacher and bringing all my passions together has been such a delight.

8. Where do you find inspiration?

The work reflects a multitude of inspirations gathered from my years of traveling to different parts of the world. I’ve been exposed to various textile techniques and resources, from ethnic fabrics woven in far reaching places like Guatemala and the Philippines to modern, high-end textiles in Europe and America.

I admire makers, methods and designs that are thoughtfully created and produced, and that humbly honor the lineage of makers they evolved from. I’m also influenced by abstract painting. Artists like Richard Diebenkorn, Nicolas de Stael and Milton Avery depict deeply poetic sceneries that are soothing yet powerfully moving. I love Paul Klee’s classical sophistication infused with his individuality and humor.

I also draw inspiration from folk art and how it reflects tradition and community in a simple and unpretentious manner. Turning to nature, I’ve always been fascinated by the “Wild West.” This calling is so strong that it has kept me in the US, while my family is still in France. I’m in love with the American desert and its grandiose canyons, the juxtaposition of muted tones with bright skies, the textures of rock formations with their richly ribboned layers, and the rare vegetation that pops up as a little surprise of color. The American desert is a billion year old hypnotizing and slowly evolving work of art. This is the most I'm aware of, but I know there must be much more in my subconscious that influences my work.

9. What other creatives do you admire – weavers, artists, entrepreneurs – and why?

I admire so many people! Often times unknown to the public. It could be indigenous weavers I met during trips, kids art (I'm often taken by it at least as much as by known artists). I also adore tantra paintings. Aside from the painters I listed above, there are a few artists on my list that people will recognize: Hilma Af Klint, Agnes Pelton, Etel Adnan. I feel a great sense of resonance with their work as it feels very meditative. It's not about anything beautiful in an obvious way, but it does remind me of something profound that can't be named.

10. If you could no longer weave, what would you do instead?

I have a very strong and disciplined sadhana (or spiritual practice). If I couldn’t weave, I would focus on teaching classes and workshops combining the work from the various lineages I learned from. I'd lead meditation classes, I'd teach yoga (hatha and kundalini) and body movement. I would probably also lead tea ceremonies and get creative with it: with the ceramics and the plants. I actually already do some of these things and I see them all working together along with weaving.

Do you have any upcoming exhibits, talks, or events the community should know about?

I launched a tiny weaving kit that includes everything people need to weave like I do. It’s both a making and wellness tool. It has video instructions and a meditation. There will also soon be classes and workshops that combine meditation, breath work and weaving. I'm putting out in the world the tools that have served as medicine for myself for so many years so it can help people to connect to what truly matters, be resilient and inspired to create their own spiritual path. I think it's now more important than ever.