Katharine Swailes presented these new works from her Warm Harmonies series with Cavaliero Finn Gallery in 2022 at Artefact, Chelsea Harbour.

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Originally from Cumbria, Katharine now lives and works in the Sussex countryside.  These tapestries are inspired by the landscape and the meditative activity of weaving. The abstract image is arrived at by implementing a minimal number of processes to create the image, the subtle colour enhanced by carefully blended wool weft yarns.

The wool and cotton materials lead Katharine’s approach to these colourfield tapestries and are constructed from hand-dyed worsted wools. This fibre is a central part of the artist’s life now, as it was in childhood. These long connections help her focus inward to a slowing meditative process of handwoven tapestry. Drawing from a limited supply of wool yarns, newly dyed yarn supplement and bring together this woollen palette. Dyeing is an important part of her practice, creating colour families for each project. On this series, the artist introduces one strand of bamboo yarn or cotton to create a reflection on the surface, the opposite of the light-absorbing wool, creating a movement.

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Images: Warm Harmonies series

Photography: Josh Kershaw

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