2024 – Now

Hanging by a thread

Beautiful handwoven relief wall textiles, made from alpaca rovings, flax yarn and repurposed rubber sheet.

Size: 134cm (W) x 160cm (H) x 6cm (D)
100% Natural dyes: logwood bark, onion skins, walnut

The idiom “hanging by a thread” means that something is in a very precarious or uncertain state, likely to fail or be destroyed with even a small change or event. It implies a high degree of risk and a low chance of survival or success… yet with our actions we can turn the course of our troubled earth by treating it more gently in many ways. There is hope.

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Homage

A free hanging tapestry made from flax yarn, alpaca yarn dyed with acorns from the oak tree in my alpaca’s field, tree branches and stones.

Size: 280cm (H) x 150cm (W)

I have always loved trees and have drawn them off and on throughout my life. I find them very beautiful, somehow grounding and awe-inspiring… and more recently I have realised more and more how important they are to the climate crisis and sustainability because of their vast eco system. They speak to me. And the OAK tree is the ‘King of trees’ in my eyes like many other people in England feel. They are so majestic and a symbol of strength… and power associated with the Greek god Zeus.

So, it’s not surprising that I have eventually made a piece of work about the large oak tree here in the field where my alpacas live. I think this tree must be around 300 years old now and apparently a mature oak tree can support up to 2,300 wild species – meaning birds, mammals, insects, fungi etc, all co-habiting in the same environment.

I wanted to honour this beautiful tree/ acknowledge it/talk about it and make a piece of work that has an impact.

I have enjoyed watching this tree year after year as it changes through the seasons for thirty years now. In the autumn of 2022 it had a bumper crop of acorns like I had never seen before. I decided they had to be collected and see what natural dyes I could make out of them. So the two and a bit years journey to make a piece of work began with dyeing a lot of my alpaca yarn in the later part of that year from these acorns.

I knew I wanted the piece of work to be big, it needed to display the mightiness of the tree, its longevity, its scale. I decided to make a large drawing of a section of it’s branches and the shapes in between that I found interesting and gave me a feel of the tree. I was happy with this, but I wanted to take it further… I would create a large tapestry that would involve standing on a table and more to reach the top… and I decided to only weave the negative shapes in between the shapes of the branches…

So here you can see the finished piece in my house… the various colours of the dyes I created from the acorn dye baths. The shapes/gaps between the weaving.

I decided it needed to be taken further.

It will hang away from the wall when I exhibit it – in the middle of its own space with a strong directional light thus creating shadows… and thus an even more powerful impact –in its own environment… a space visitors can enter and be enveloped by. I hope this will be transporting and engaging for the viewer so that they become fully involved with the power of this majestic tree.

Where the Earth Meets the sky

A beautifully handwoven wall hanging made from natural plant dyed alpaca rovings and cotton cord.

Size: 70cm (W) x 180cm (H) x 6cm (D)
Natural dyes: Coreopsis, Japanese indigo, nettle, comfrey and ivy

“The earth reflects the sky and the sky meets the earth and, every now and then, if we’re lucky, we have a moment to see how small we are.” – Ally Condie

The horizon, an ever-shifting boundary, symbolises the edge of what is known and possible. It varies depending on one’s vantage point, embodying the vastness and often intangible nature of where the earth meets the sky. This convergence evokes a profound sense of mystery and wonder, reminding us of our minuscule presence within the grand tapestry of the universe.

As I gaze across the alpacas’ field towards the horizon, I am captivated by the ever-changing colours, textures, and shapes that unfold with the time of day, season, and weather. This view serves as a constant reminder of the greater forces at play, far beyond our comprehension and control.

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The Giving Earth

A beautiful handwoven wall textile, made from felted alpaca rovings and cotton cord.

Size: 90cm (W) x 154cm (H) x 6cm (D)
Natural dyes: Madder, Coreopsis, nettle, comfrey and ivy

Humanity must urgently address its dependency on fossil fuels, lest we continue to treat Earth as a mere resource for consumption. Shel Silverstein’s poignant tale, The Giving Tree (1964), encapsulates this dynamic through the relationship between a selfless tree and a boy who grows old taking everything from her. The tree, embodying perfect altruism, ultimately becomes an old stump, offering the boy a place to rest. This narrative underscores the importance of selflessness and giving, contrasting the boy’s perfect selfishness.

Modern society mirrors this relationship with Earth, extracting benefits without reciprocating care.

This piece of my work symbolises the gifts bestowed by the soil in my field and polytunnel – from the alpaca fleece to the natural dyes derived from plants, which give the work with its radiance. The rich red hue comes from the roots of the madder plant, cultivated for three years before yielding its bounty. In return, I strive to nurture and enrich the soil through organic practices, home-created compost, adherence to Fibreshed principles and only taking what I need, fostering ecosystems within ecosystems. Healthy soil is fundamental for a resilient planet.

MATERIAL EXCHANGE

Beautiful series of small weavings, made from alpaca and flax yarns and dried flax.

80cm (H) x 154cm (W) x 60cm (D)

This series of small weavings came from combining materials exchanged, shared and made @flaxexchange project led by Shane Waltener. The flax London grown and handspun and short left-over alpaca yarns from my larger projects. I see these ‘Non Flags’ like individual characters/people in Shane’s community project.

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WALL PIECE, Rooted

A beautiful handwoven tapestry wall piece made from flax yarn, plant dyed alpaca yarn, silk thread, wood branch & marble.

Size: 57cm (H) x 42cm (W) x 7.5cm (D)

MOVING FORWARD

A beautiful handwoven wall textile made from natural dyed alpaca and home grown and spun flax yarn.

Size: 61cm (H) x 104cm (W) including support

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TRAVEL DIARY

Beautiful series of small weavings, made from acorn dyed alpaca yarn, wood and flax yarn – all home gathered.

Size: 155cm x 155cm

I wanted to use the remnants of yarns (I can’t bear wasting anything) from my large tapestry, HOMAGE, which pays tribute to the large oak tree in the field where I live. So, I started making small weavings on my compact portable frame. This way of working, particularly suited train journeys, soon evolved into a travel diary.

I consciously choose train travel to mitigate my carbon footprint, which simultaneously allows me to engage in creative pursuits. The meditative nature of weaving during these journeys provides a fertile ground for contemplation and thoughts about future projects.

The project reached its natural conclusion when I exhausted the short leftover yarns, coinciding with an intervention by artist Jen Cable – see the last piece.

This visual diary displays the motivations and destinations of my travels, the exhibitions I participate in or visit, and underscores my commitment to public transportation. This work is a travel diary for my non-local journeys during the first three months of 2025. Local journeys I do in my electric car which I have had since 2017 and I love it.

The philosophical musings on travel question its necessity: Is some travel indispensable? Might one discover all that is essential within our immediate surroundings, if only we observe with sufficient care and depth? This sentiment echoes the wisdom of a neighbour of mine.

WALL PIECES, FRAGILITY

Beautiful handwoven wall textiles, made from flax, flax yarn and alpaca yarn

Size: Notations – 90cm (H) x 40cm (W) x 2.5cm (D) / Broken & Fragile/Light – 58cm (H) x 48cm (W) x 2.5cm (D)
100% natural dyes – St John’s Wort, Dyer’s coreopsis, madder

Flax is a beautiful and fragile plant as it grows through the spring and summer months, yet the strongest rope, cordage and yarn can be made from its fibre. It makes me think about how fragile yet how resilient our planet is – so far. Can it keep restoring itself? We should all be caring for it more, not polluting it and taking so much from it.

The flax was grown in the field next to my alpacas. The flax yarn was grown in London and hand spun by Shane Waltener as part of his Flax Exchange project.

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FRAGILITY SERIES: NOTIONS

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GIVE & TAKE SERIES: GIVE AND TAKE

WALL PIECES, GIVE & TAKE Series

Beautiful handwoven relief wall textiles, made from alpaca and flax yarns.

Size: Each 37 (H) x 35 (W) x 4.5cm (D) including support
GIVE AND TAKE: Alpaca and flax yarns. Natural dyes – woad and coreopsis
GIVE & TAKE SHARE: Alpaca and flax yarns. Natural dyes – weld and Woad
GIVE & TAKE REPAIR: Alpaca, Norfolk horn sheep and flax yarns. Natural dyes – woad and woad & weld
EARTHEART: Alpaca, flax and repurposed silk and wool yarns. Natural dyes – walnut, oak galls and nettle.

Restorative Justice is one of the four main types of Social Justice and Rosalind Stoddart’s practise is focused around gently restoring our relationship with the planet, our only home.  GIVE AND TAKE is one of a series from her latest work. It is about not only taking from our environment but also giving/putting back into the land and only taking what we need. This fits into Fibreshed principles of ‘from soil to soil’, the circular way of living and making – slowly and in a caring way using material that can be returned to the earth to decompose easily. We also need to care for each other by giving as well as receiving.

These pieces are made from her own alpaca fleece, from animals she gave a needed home to, and flax a heritage material for making cloth. Alpaca uses less water to process than sheep’s wool containing no lanoline and flax is one of the strongest and most versatile plant fibres. There was very little environmental impact to create this work.

Her lifestyle and creativity demonstrate her ethos along-side exhibiting her work and sharing community projects. These activities, she hopes opens people’s eyes to engage with the environment more closely, care and treat it gently and respectfully. Social Justice is about providing support and tools to transform lives and she believes the arts/creativity can help people engage with the environment and the climate crisis (Climate Justice) in a positive hands-on way.

WALL PIECE, MEETING POINT

A beautiful handwoven wall textile, made from alpaca and flax yarns and alpaca felt.

Size: 62cm (H) x 37cm (W)
100% natural dyes – Japanese Indigo

MEETING POINT as implied in the title is about finding a place where people can come together to exchange ideas, be creative, learn and put into action gentler ways to live and relate to the environment.

Restorative Justice is one of the four main types of Social Justice and my current practise including this piece ‘MEETING POINT’ is focused around gently restoring our relationship with the planet, our only home.