Birth – Roger Sheldon
This piece captures the beginning of change or metamorphosis – the egg. Birth begins with an egg – and leaves impacts on the environment. The waves are symbolic of the never-ending impacts of birth.
My love for tapestry started about thirty years ago when my now-deceased partner shared his skills with me. At that time, I used kits but quickly moved on to freeform designs of my own. Many of the designs were geometric in nature and were in the natural colours of the sheep’s’ fleeces. During COVID I sourced the wools of 71 breeds of British sheep and made a tapestry wall-hanging using all of them – each wool sewn with a different stitch. I also made many cushions, hand bags, and glove bags.
This piece is my first work with a curvilinear design. I have also moved away from using only natural wool colours and used dyed yarns to add more depth and interest. I enjoyed softening the edges with the various colours. The concept of birth and the egg to me required more organic shapes – hence the wavy lines. This design somehow suggests the impact that birth or metamorphosis has on its environment. That impact can be negative or positive – hence the darker and lighter waves.