Paula Bowers Hotvedt

I loved weaving from the first moment I walked into the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. I was fascinated by the wall of yarn with all the vibrant colors and textures and the looms and other equipment filling the studio. I now have my own studio, a wall of yarn with three looms, a sewing section and a dying area.

Weaving is an art form from which one learns continuously. Weave structures, color, texture and design keep challenging me to build on the very ancient craft of weaving. It all becomes intertwined as I create new pieces and new designs. I love the movement of fabric, its "hand"; fabric has its own kinetic energy and personality. Although I use modern tools: a computer for design and also to drive my AVL compudobby loom, fiber reactive dyes for the intensity of color and for its relatively quick application, I try to not lose track of weaving's heritage using natural dyes and natural fibers, the same as has been used for many thousands of years. Fiber makes a statement regarding the influences that helped create it - voices moving from the artist onto the cloth itself.

I view my weaving as part of a wonderful continuum, going back, largely unchanged, for centuries. The history of this continuum allows me to move forward exploring new materials and new designs with excitement and confidence.

Cumberland Valley TACA

Paula Bowers-Hotvedt