Travel, Textiles, & Tradition

b y S u s a n S t o v e r

TOP: Row of canting tools in Java, 2015. BOTTOM: Fabric at a textile market in Bali, 2015. RIGHT: SUSAN STOVER Where is My Allegiance? Indigo-dyed silk, encaustic, mixed media on panel, 47" x 54" x 3", 2015. All photos by Susan Stover, ©2015.

6 ©2015 Surface Design Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Surface Design Journal Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. Travel can greatly impact an artist’s work. It can influence, be a catalyst for change, or further catapult the journey already started. In the absence of familiar surroundings, it can magnify what captures the eye and the emotions. All is new, exciting, and exhilarating. Both making art and traveling have opened up new experiences and challenged me in unique ways. There is so much to be inspired by—the tatmosphere in the landscape, hues and textures of a traditional market, shrines and temples, and environments of living and creating. I recently returned from my second trip to Indonesia in the last 15 months. As the experiences and inspirations linger in my subconscious, they continue to influence my artwork. My love of textiles was rekindled as a result of these travels. Fabrics abundantly adorn shrines and temples, are used as offerings, typify ceremonial dress, and are displayed as consumer goods. I am inspired not only by the beauty of the fabrics, but also how they function in a society where art, life, and spiritual- ity are all connected. Nowhere is this more evident than in Bali. Concepts of duality, animism, and the desire for harmony between the natural and supernatural worlds are the foundation of Balinese beliefs. My fascination with

Winter2015/2016 ©2015 Surface Design Association, Inc. All rights reserved. 7 Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. There is an inherent beauty to the handmade, purposed item that looks old and worn.

SUSAN STOVER Artesian Wall Indigo-dyed silk, encaustic, horsehair, wood, mixed media on panel, 36" x 36" x 3", 2015.

the connection of art and spirit lies in the mys- not exist. In countries like Indonesia, these tradi- tery, the unanswered questions, the quest for bal- tions are part of cultural identity and there is a ance and purpose, the desire for connectedness sense of pride in the hand making of them. Some with others and with the sacred, however they of the places in Java and Bali that I visited still pro- choose to define it. Textiles embody these con- duce cloth exactly as it has been done for hun- cerns, which are more evident in cultures other dreds of years. The tools and settings of these than my own. shops look like they have not changed over the When traveling, I am conscious of how ages, and it was like stepping back in time. It was closely tradition and technology are related. always surprising to see cell phones in these envi- Weaving and dyeing cloth are technologies that ronments—the juxtaposition of ancient and have existed for millennia. As a result of the Indus- modern. This is what I am after in my own work— trial Revolution, the western world is more re- taking something from one arena, bridging the moved from these technologies, as most cloth is gaps of time and place, and situating it in a new made in factories. Our direct relationship to the venue. production of fabric and items for survival does There is an inherent beauty to the hand-

8 ©2015 Surface Design Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Surface Design Journal Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. made, purposed item that looks old and worn. Often I think of history, what or who came before me, what was left behind, and how we are joined to others by the same ac- tivities that keep our hands busy. The rhyth- mic beating of a loom and the repetitive movements of stitching and stamping can be meditative and calming. There is a satisfaction to this type of labor. Textiles imply an association with human touch and human interac- tion and I am curious how the maker’s role functions individually and collectively in a community. What interests me is the information that textiles contain, as patterns and techniques encode knowledge from ances- tors and tell us much about a culture’s cos- mology and development. Perhaps it is my own desire for connection to the larger world that drives me to seek out authentic artisans working in methods that have been handed down from one generation to another. Throughout the years, my work has incorporated the combination of textiles and painting. I have worked in many ways using dye, paint, thread, fabric, and fiber. Prior to traveling to Indonesia, I had been using surface design techniques on silk and embed- ding them into encaustic to develop my own visual language of unique mark-making and patterning. A shift happened in the work as a result of traveling—the fabric itself be- came the subject matter and a springboard ABOVE: Woman using batik canting tools to design on fabric in Java, 2015. for new content. I wanted to make work that BELOW: Man stamping wax onto fabric in Java, 2015. looked like old cloths that were worn in a way that would suggest some sort of use or purpose. They could be fragments or relics and could incorporate techniques typically found in ritual textiles and costumes. Recently, I have been combining surface design techniques (such as discharge, silk painting, and indigo dyeing) on silk with encaustic on panel. There is marvelous allure of adding color to cloth and a magical alchemy of dyeing with indigo. When layering the silk into encaustic, the wax is beautifully absorbed by the silk. The silk then becomes semi-transparent, re- vealing rich subtleties of colored wax under- neath. Murky layers of wax on top of the silk can add depth, mystery, and freeze the fabric in the moment. Working with encaustic in many ways is like working with fiber. There is a tactile quality to the wax that makes one want to touch it. The translucent layers of wax are similar to working with layers of dye. Wax can re- flect and absorb light like various fibers. There are the textural and sculptural capabilities of wax as there are with fibers. When I started thinking of my “paint- ings” as “objects,” it stimulated ideas of working

Winter2015/2016 ©2015 Surface Design Association, Inc. All rights reserved. 9 Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. …my intention is to create artwork that evokes a sense of transcendent mystery and purpose.

SUSAN STOVER Portal Indigo-dyed silk, indigo, encaustic, metal, tar, mixed media on panel, 16" x 8" x 1.5", 2015.

10 ©2015 Surface Design Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Surface Design Journal Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. ABOVE: Bound fabric dyed in indigo in SUSAN STOVER’S Graton, CA, studio. RIGHT: Piece in progress in SUSAN STOVER’S studio. BELOW: Young man dyeing batik fabric in indigo in Java, 2015.

sculpturally and freed me from thinking within the Life and the Bebali Foundation in Ubud, Bali, seek confines of the panel. It opened up the possibili- to preserve and restore indigenous textile cultures ties of working with other fibers, materials, and in Indonesia. They work with women’s weaving co- techniques. Incorporating these materials and operatives to help manage their resources sustain- working in this way, my inten- ably and relieve poverty in tion is to create artwork that remote areas. The Bebali evokes a sense of transcen- Foundation does botanical re- dent mystery and purpose. search of natural dyes and The goal is to imbue the work mordants. I spent a wonderful with a vulnerability and vital- afternoon in the Bebali Natu- ity that reflects the presence ral Dye Garden dyeing with of the maker. Each piece is a the indigo that is grown there. personal meditation on what The garden beds are filled connects the past and pre- with different varieties of in- sent, the beauty of imperfec- digo and plants for other col- tion and age. The challenge is ors and mordants. how to make the things that My consciousness and inspire me and at the same respect has grown for the time place them in a contem- beauty existing in other parts porary context. How do I cele- of the world as a result of my brate these inspirations, use travels. I am grateful for the these traditions, and express it rich heritages that endure and in a way that is relative to my own culture? am optimistic of how they might evolve. I am look- As I travel and seek inspiration, I am ing forward to future art inspiring journeys in Italy, aware of how tourism and commercialism affect India and a return to Java with others who share a these places. Traditional weaving patterns can be similar interest in appreciating the artistry of cul- found printed cheaply on cotton fabric. ”Fake” tural traditions. batiks are abundant. Natural dyes and materials are often replaced by cheaper synthetic ones. For more information on Threads of Life and the Bebali Symbolic meanings are in danger of being lost as Foundation, visit: www.threadsoflife.com techniques and knowledge may not be handed —Susan Stover is an artist and educator. She teaches down to future generations. I believe that it is im- and shows her work nationally and internationally and portant to recognize the value and conservation maintains a full time studio practice in Graton, CA. of traditions and cultures with awareness and www.susanstover.com. mindfulness of our impact on them. Threads of