Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Kilgus.
Kate, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I’m a handweaver. I’ve been working on a floor loom for nearly 20 years. I choose to work on a traditional eight-shaft, ten treadle floor looms powered by my hands and feet. The first time I sat at a loom in a beginning weaving class in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I felt like I had come home. My great-grandfather, Alexander Briggs, was a Scottish carpet weaver. He died long before he knew that I became a weaver, but I still feel a connection to him and his work. Perhaps weavers are born, not made.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I primarily weave textiles for everyday living, including table linens and kitchen towels. I think that the kitchen towel is the most undervalued textile in our homes. We use them for everything: lining the bread basket, drying our hands, covering rising loaves of dough. My table runners and placemats are designed using traditional weaving structures such as overshot and “summer and winter.” These techniques are interesting in that one can choose to weave time-honored, traditional patterns or one can design something completely new. My newest overshot patterns, “Minuet” and “Gavotte,” are designed using inspiration from Bach’s Suites for Unaccompanied Cello. I aspire to mirror the energy and movement that are present in these compositions.
Artists face many challenges, but what do you feel is the most pressing among them?
Personally, I struggle to find a healthy balance between working and other responsibilities.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I exhibit at the League of NH Craftsmen Summer Fair in Newbury, NH in August of every year. It is a 9-day event and it is great fun. My work can be found in several galleries in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. I also have a website that features some of my most popular pieces for sale. I accept custom work with pleasure.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.katekilgus.com
- Email: mktkilgus@comcast.net
- Instagram: Instagram.com/katekilgushandwovens
- Twitter: Twitter.com/katekilgus
Image Credit:
Kate Kilgus
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