Ben Jones

Name: Ben Jones

Studio location: Philadelphia, PA

Website / social links: studiobenjones.com

Loom type or tool preference: Macomber 8 shaft loom, dyes, drawing

Years weaving: 4

Fiber inclination: color, patterns, structure/systems, tactility

Current favorite weaving book: Weaving Textiles that Shape Themselves

 

 

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

I was doing a screen printing apprenticeship which led me to grad school for print design. In school I took a required hand weaving course - that's how I found weaving. The best resource I had as a beginner was my weaver peers. Philadelphia University and the Handweaver’s Guild of America were great weaving communities in which to learn weaving technology/craft. 

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?

I consider myself a designer. But I think craft is integral to all art and design practices, so that’s a given - craft is rooted in all “making”.

I think the definitions of craft, art, and design have really blurred due to the digital age and the impact of marketing. But I think that “products” are really a lot more prevalent in our lives, like that’s how we interact with each other and often the world, through products. So designers make products, and that’s what I do, or would like to do. I think Johnathan Adler said this sort of thing on the “Clever” podcast series (ha), he said that artists showing in galleries in Chelsea and all over NY were really just luxury product designers for interiors...

3. Describe your first experience with weaving.

I was in a shared university studio in the summer, and had a lot of physical/mental space and time. Once I started weaving different yarns and structures I was amazed. The warp was black and the weft was white so the patterns were strong and I was just mesmerized and falling in love.

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?

I start each weaving with color inspiration. The color(s) could be from a feeling, a memory, or an object, or a professional brief. Then I draw and paint to cycle through colors, patterns, and structures rapidly until something sticks. Drawing is a substantial part of my process as I feel it directly relates to the intuition involved in handweaving. Drawing offers me lots of interesting surprises and possibilities for weaving  prior to dressing the loom/warping, etc.

Once I have a bunch of drawings/paintings, I create the most suitable draft and tie up for flexible, experimental weaving as related to my drawn ideas and color inspiration. I then make diagrams and do weird math demonstrating shuttle path, warp specs, yarn qualities, etc.

I have recently gotten back on the loom post COVID, and am researching new structures, fibers, and processes to work with. Prior to COVID I worked almost exclusively with transparent monofilament and multi layer structures.

 

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

Weavings and earlier painting I’ve done has often been inspired by landscapes and flora, but recently, I’ve been exploring queer identity and culture in my textile work. 

For my graduate thesis I made an inclusive textile product collection for queer runners and gym goers as this demographic is underrepresented within athletic cultures.

Other than queerness, I am really focused on the textile/fashion industry and textile manufacturing as I just finished an intense textile design and science graduate program.

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

My favorite part of the weaving process is the surprise element-like once you’ve chosen yarns, structures, etc. you have an idea, but there’s always that surprise once you start weaving. I love putting the work in and then getting on the loom and getting into that rhythm where I’m watching the fabric materialize in front of me and I’m just like “yes, this is magical and unexpected wow yes” I like experimenting on the loom. I like a lot of parts!!

My least favorite part is adding or removing heddles, I just don’t like that. 

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, but not enough to live off of. I do freelance print and woven design for in Philadelphia. I have maintained a studio in Philadelphia for over ten years. This has allowed me to become part of a community of young artists that are growing together in Philly. I have friends that own businesses, or have studios, and we collaborate often. 

8. Where do you find inspiration?

My inspiration comes from so many places. A lot of inspiration comes from personal queer memories and fashion, or sometimes just through simple and objective observation on walks. Like how pigment is variegated in leaves.   

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

I admire Oscar Wilde, Wolfgang Tillmans, Dries Van Noten, David Hockney and David Sedaris. These gay artists just make me feel empowered to continue exploring gay identity and making beautiful objects through textiles, color, storytelling, and critical thinking. These artists are also super good at their respective craft. 

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

Draw.

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

I am working on a print collection with Lobo Mau in Philadelphia that will drop in the fall!