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BIOGRAPHY -- Penelope Sharp
In the Sixties I was a young girl growing up in the San Francisco Bay area. With my parents I went on camping trips to the mountains and beaches that were close at hand. My explorations into that natural world molded me into what I am today: weaver, geologist, botanist, and philosopher. At first glance these seem to be dissimilar fields and interests, but I find that if one looks at the world with an eye for interconnection, it is clear that our universe moves in a multiplicity of interlocking cycles or circles, such that our lives and the essence of all things are entwined in a complex web. I create woven sculptures as an expression of that interconnectedness. By intertwining materials, colors, and textures I endeavor to depict this synergy. To me, a sculpture is not just a three dimensional object – it becomes a gateway or portal to another, perhaps, magical world. I use natural fibers and plant materials in some of the same ways they have been used for centuries, and I marry them with shimmering metal and other treasures to create new pathways with, hopefully, the palatable magic and wonder that is all around us.
My journey began at an early age. Living by the Pacific Ocean in a major cosmopolitan port gave me an interesting perspective on world commerce, and the ethnic diversity of the San Francisco area made me aware of different peoples and cultures. In my parent’s backyard garden I was taught the rudiments of botany and herbology by my mother, a marvelous gardener. I returned her affection by presenting her with special stones wrapped with honeysuckle vines. My father also influenced my artistic bent. He was a merchant marine well versed in all the nautical arts (sail making, knot tying, and intricacies of ropes, although I never mastered nets and their secrets). He taught me to appreciate the forces of the cosmos and nature (the stars, the pull of the tides, seasonal changes) and how they affect us. City life during the school year and camping during summer, I started weaving and making baskets in the mountains of California. On trips with my parents I would run amok finding natural materials to weave fanciful structures. During one of our adventures I found paper plates in the picnic supplies; after several hours, my mother was bemused to find that I had made strange and amazing shoes for everyone from the paper plates, stitched with vines from the forest and decorated with botanical wonders I had found. That evening we had shoes, but no plates on which to dine !
In school my pursuits focused on earth sciences, but I was never far away from the Muse. I discovered card weaving during my college years. I was in the library consumed with mineralogy midterm exams and needed a break. Prowling the stacks, I came across several books on tablet or card weaving; in subsequent months I taught myself the technique. Not only were the patterns mesmerizing but the mobility of the craft appealed to the nomadic nature of my lifestyle at that time. The oldest card-woven artifacts date to ancient Spanish tombs from the third century B.C. Although the origins of the craft are in question and seem to arise from several locales about the same time period, the technique is constant. Weaving material (warp) is passed through holes in cards so that as the cards are turned, singly or in groups, they produce a pattern of twisted warp threads. Some of my weavings can have as many as 50 or 100 cards in them. It is a highly portable craft as it does not require a formal loom structure, so I can easily pack a weaving in progress and travel anywhere in the world.
I graduated from San Francisco State University in geology and botany and did some grad studies at Stanford. I have worked for several companies in the interpretation of geologic information. I also do some technical consulting on electronic assemblies; this has brought me in contact with neat new materials for weaving: wires and metals. My work has taken me all over North America, but I currently live with my husband in Boulder, CO. I have taught classes in card weaving and basketry. Though I am primarily self-taught (through books, observation and experimentation), teaching has proven a useful learning tool since interaction with students can always prove enlightening and fun.
Recently a love affair with copper and metal has taken my heart. The delicate nature of copper--durable, yet soft and fickle to the touch of hard machine tools--begs to be coaxed into its final shape with persuasion and liberal amounts of elbow grease. I prefer to work with the untarnished metal; the warm luster gives a glow like a good chat with a close friend. I take sheets of copper, shear them, mold and form them, smooth and polish the surfaces, and wondrous things spring forth. If I show respect and care for my copper friend, it returns its gift of color, wonder, and magic.
At first, I incorporated copper into my regular weavings, but soon I was weaving copper with other materials and weaving copper alone. My work sometimes teams my beloved copper with exotic woods, bamboo, ash and rattan (which I stain and lacquer), mysterious vines, feathers, gemstones, as well as complete card weavings to adequately express the rhythms and wave nature of the world.
©2005 - 2008 Penelope Sharp. All Rights Reserved.