Megan Koons

Name: Megan Koons

Studio location: Illinois

Website / social links: megankoons.com, @megan_koons

Loom type or tool preference: Handmade frame loom

Years weaving: 6

Fiber inclination: Cotton and repurposed materials

Current favorite weaving book: Listening to Stone: The Art and Life of Isamu Noguchi by Hayden Herrera and The Basketmaker’s Art: Contemporary Baskets and Their Makers by Rob Pulleyn

 

 

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

During my undergraduate studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, I focused mainly on painting and drawing but decided to take a few courses in the fiber department during my final year. Although I never took a weaving class, it was my initial introduction into using and handling the types of materials I use in my work today.

A few years later I opened a mid century modern shop specializing in Scandinavian furniture design with my partner and husband. It was during this time that I developed an interest in Scandinavian tapestries and rugs and began studying fiber art again, stumbling upon the work of Sheila Hicks.  Inspired by her experimental and painterly approach to working with fiber, I made a small frame loom and began weaving. 

My greatest resource as a beginner was a tutorial book called Practical Modern Weaving by Rosemary Murray.

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?

Art and artist are the terms I’ve always identified with, however the uncertainty of title is something I like to explore in my work. Drawing from craft, design, and weaving allows me to broaden my visual language and have a more comprehensive approach to making things.

3. Describe your first experience with weaving.

My first experience was very playful, just trying different colors and patterns until I eventually began understanding the magic behind the moves. I understood how to read paintings and this felt like an extension, a new way to get inside the color and structure of an object / image.

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?

Sometimes I’ll begin with a drawing or sketch, others begin more spontaneously and I follow where the piece goes. I have a few different sized frame looms that I’ll have going at the same time, two large stationary in my studio and one handheld that I can use for smaller studies or collage pieces. I try to keep an open mind in the studio, not always sticking to a certain genre or style, but rather following my interests at that time.

 

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

My intention is to hone in on my own sensitivities to color, balance, light, texture. I center my work around observation and sensations, intuition and feeling.

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

I'm always excited to see the shapes and patterns slowly start to reveal themselves, sometimes creating pleasant surprises like a new texture or unexpected color. 

My least favorite part is the feeling of uncertainty when starting a new piece.  Each piece can take weeks or months to make, so wasting time on indecision can become a major obstacle. But desire and curiously always help me over that hurdle, especially when working on multiple pieces at a time.

7. Where do you find inspiration?

When I was living in the city, it was the grids, the tall buildings and incredible architecture. And now that I’m removed it’s nature, large skies, and closely watching the seasons change. Studying the work of other artists or makers at museums, galleries, and in books also offer endless inspiration.

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

Since becoming a mother, I admire and am encouraged by those who opted for both ambitious careers and motherhood; Ruth Asawa, Elizabeth Murray, Laura Owens, Kara Walker, Tara Donovan, and Diana Al-Hadid to name a few.

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

Pursue alternative ways of making art, continue learning.