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April Scott
Hatteberg's People
Reporter: Larry Hatteberg
| November 7, 2004--Artistic painting is difficult for most of us, but imagine trying to ‘weave’ a picture. For me, it would be impossible. Fortunately, for April Scott of El Dorado, it’s not. |
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From her artistic mind, to a loom, to reality, her fiber tapestries make this Fiber Artist’s work stand out.
On Hatteberg’s People we weave together the story.
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“Weaving sometimes looks a lot harder than it is.
In her El Dorado studio, April Scott spends hours at her loom creating breath-taking tapestries.
“I weave intuitively, that’s what works for me. And I’m not following a pattern for the most part, I’m just….the thread just goes through my hands.” |
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Her hands moving through the loom like a concert pianist.
“I have to tell you that is one of the most amazing things to just have that flow out of you where ever the creator is allowing that to happen, it is an amazing, amazing thing. |
“When you get your nose right down to it, those hand-dyed ribbons that I dyed -- which is amazing to me. And then when you pull back you see that it is a flower, it gives it a resemblance of a flower, and sometimes what looks like random stitches, and I lay them in there randomly, well, they do look like a flower.”
The art hanging in her studio is being readied for a showing at the Coutts Museum of Art in El Dorado. These pieces, sold, have now returned for a short time so that others may see the intricate nature ----
“I see the complexity –“ of this fiber art.
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“When I don’t see one for awhile, well, it’s like seeing a piece of history, it’s quite nice. And I’m also thinking…hmmmm…I did that.”
This piece she’s holding was done along with her mentor and friend Marilyn Grisham. A piece of woven fabric that looks three-dimensional.
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“And it was actually done with a combination of subtle changes in the yarn combinations but also it’s done a great deal with dye, a little paint, and a very subtle stitching of thread to give the nuances.”
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For most of us it is technically complex. She uses simple two harness weaving. But she departs from tradition by using bundled thread where there may be as many as twenty-four threads of different colors and textures.
“From a distance, they look like paintings.”
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April also teaches this fabric art at Wichita’s new City Arts Building in Old Town….old methods that have lasted centuries and continue to amaze.
“And there is not such thing as perfect. You just have to give it your best.”
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Larry’s Note --- April Scott’s fabric art will be on display at the Coutts Museum of Art in El Dorado through December 21st. The museum is located at 110 N. Main in El Dorado. Their phone number is: 316 321-1212.
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