News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Linda Davis.
Linda Davis’ prize-winning weaving, featuring a depiction of Columbia River petroglyphs.
When Linda Davis was about 12 years old, she saw a woman demonstrating the ancient craft of weaving. She was fascinated. She didn't start weaving until she was out of college and living in Boise, Idaho, but once she started, she kept at it for the past 40 years.
The craft exerts an endless fascination for her.
"There's just an infinite number of ways you can interlace threads to create designs," she says.
Davis' work took Best of Show honors in a touring show sponsored by the Weaving Guilds of Oregon that is currently on display at the Sisters Library. Threads to New Worlds-A Collection of Fiber Arts will make stops in a dozen Oregon venues across the state this year.
Davis' piece is a weft-faced wall-hanging.
"The design is all on the surface, much like a tapestry. It's a form of tapestry," she explained.
"It's based on Columbia River petroglyphs of mountain sheep. I have a real fascination with petroglyphs and rock art of various types."
Davis hand-dyed the wool used in the technically sophisticated piece, which she designed on a computer.
The weaver creates about 12 pieces a year, and she has won a number of awards. She exhibits regularly at the Deschutes County Fair and is currently in Bellingham, Washington, for a regional weavers' conference where she has work on display.
Davis says the attractions of weaving lie in color, pattern and the tactile pleasures of texture.
She is a member of the local Central Oregon Spinners and Weavers Guild.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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