Irish tapestry artist Frances Crowe’s colourful tapestries focus on subjects within today’s society. She aims to evoke an emotional response from the viewer with her ‘hidden storytelling,’ and has appeared in numerous exhibitions worldwide. 

Firstly where are you from and where do you live now? 

I was born in Waterford, a beautiful coastal county in the south east of Ireland. After living in Dublin for 10 years I moved to the midlands county of Roscommon in 1980, answering a call out by the Strokestown crafts center for a weaver to complete their vision.

What is your background in textiles?

I studied fine art painting in the National college of Art and Design in Dublin, Ireland. I was obsessed with applying texture to my paintings. I used fabric, sand and collage techniques to create the surface I was trying to achieve. I stumbled across the weaving department and fell in love with tapestry. In the early days of making, I wanted my paintings to be as rich as tapestries, however not flat, I used lots of rope and formed sculptural pieces, many free hanging, experimental, and interactive. 

What is it about tapestry weaving that appeals to you?

The time spent with the warp and the weft growing the image from the bottom to the top of the loom. It is totally absorbing, building one fragment on top of another until the story is finally revealed after weeks, months or years of weaving. Tapestry speaks a language beyond words, one that is both visual and sensory, understood across borders and time.  The textural connection between the past the present and the future appeals to me. It is slow work in a fast moving world.

How do you describe your work?

My work explores the personal landscape of emotion and memory. I make comments on society and narrate world events bringing the tension of the warp and the slackness of the weft together in hidden story telling. My present body of work depicts the piercing tragedy of injustice. My aim is to have an emotional response from a viewer, to make a connection between myself, the viewer and the work. Since March I have been recording events around the Global Pandemic. This has resulted in 3 tapestries so far and narrative continues.

Tell us about your wonderful studio

When my Husband Jack and I moved to Roscommon in 1984 we purchased a small 2 room cottage, in a very rural part of the county. We immediately began what was to become a work in progress that has lasted to this present day. (35 years). We work as a team designing living spaces and building together. Rooms were added on as the years progressed, with me laying out the plans on paper or drawn on the ground, himself laying blocks, building and plastering. For the first 10 years I had my studio in one of the sheds. Then in 2000 we built my new studio. It is attached to the back of the house, with a door from my bedroom which leads right into it. When I am totally absorbed by a new work I simple get out of bed, grab a cup of tea and walk straight into my sun filled studio. I love it there and feel very privileged to have such a space to immerse myself in every day. On fine sunny summer days, I open the door and let the light and breeze waft in, I sit and meditate while looking out onto the garden, which I enjoy digging and weeding. The final extension was added in 2015, it is a studio apartment, where guests, friends, or learners can stay. I think this wrap around house that Jack built is finally completed. 

What type of loom do you use and why?

For many years I have worked on a homemade upright scaffolding loom. I can attach the metal bars to the height and width required. I also have 2 smaller homemade wooden upright frames which are portable and can be taken outdoors to weave, which is exactly what I did during the first lockdown Spring and summer of 2020. I like to work in this way as I can see the entire process at a single glance.  I make decisions about colour and tone as I weave I need to view the full tapestry at all times. In 2017 I designed a tapestry, as a response to the Syrian refugee crises. The narrative in this work is about displacement, I compared it to the Irish famine Victims and how they were forced from their land in 1847. To tell the story I decided to weave a long narrow piece. 1 meter by 3 meters, as I did not have enough space in the studio to make it on the upright frame, I purchased a beautiful antique Dryad Loom from a weaving buddy. This was a challenge for me because I could only see a small section of the weaving at a time as the rest was wound onto the beam, I had to trust my instincts. The resultant piece Titled Displaced, Is now in a private collection in Washington DC.

How do you work?

I am a fast thinker, I make decisions quickly, I get preoccupied with a subject, one which upsets me in a political or environment sense and think about it constantly, I research, and develop ideas, draw and sketch, Then make a small design, often without a colour palette worked out, I then enlarge the cartoon which I use behind the tapestry warp as a guide line. I do not stick to the plan and often change my mind while working on a piece, it grows and develops as it is being woven, and my hands seem to know what to do. Every day I give myself a long list of things to do and accomplish before evening, and this is how I work in my studio.

You seem to weave tapestries quickly, how many hours do you weave a day / or a week? And how long does one of your larger tapestries take?

It is true that I weave quickly. However tapestry is a long and very slow process. When I am working on a commission or weaving an exhibition piece that excites me I can weave up to 6 hours per day. Longing for the story and image to revel itself to me.  I feel fortunate for good health and a strong body. I do not suffer from aches and pains and seem to be able to absorb myself in the making. It takes a lot of physical strength and enormous concentration. Because as I am weaving one small section I am preparing the ground for the next row and small detailed area. I hate to be disturbed, and totally immense myself in the creation.

What are you most proud of in your career?

I am proud of the fact that I am involved in many collaborations. My vision is to bring the art of woven tapestry to a wider audience. In 2016 I founded the International Fibre art festival in Roscommon. With the support of local and national government agencies this has grown from strength to strength. I have co curated 3 exhibitions to date bringing Irish and Scottish fine art weavers together to share, discuss, exhibit, and pass on their skills to the next generation. This has grown into a biannual. In 2018 we had a major exhibition in King House Boyle, County Roscommon.  I invited the Installation Fate destiny and self-determination from Canada, to be viewed for the first time in Ireland. This year in 2020 we teamed up with Galway International city of culture to bring a major exhibition of tapestry to Clare Galway Castle, with exhibitors from Ireland, Scotland, France, Poland, Australia and Denmark. We held an amazing online Symposium titled: Experience growth and Renewal. I am proud to have been selected to exhibit in the “From Lausanne to Beijing Fibre art festival” in China in 2016 and again in 2018, on both occasions I traveled to be there for the festival. My work was also shown in Toronto at the international Tapestry exhibition. During these travels I love to meet other tapestry weavers, and form firm friendships. 

Do you feel tapestry weaving is growing in popularity or sadly fading away?

I read somewhere that textiles is the sleeping giant of contemporary Art. I tend to agree with this statement. 

I believe there is a growing interest from all around the world at the moment for textiles and especially tapestry. At one time tapestry were a highly prized medium, a way for nobles to display their wealth and prestige. Clearly tapestry as a medium continues to have an appeal for contemporary artists and collectors, and has the capacity to communicate the complexities of nuances and narratives that we expect of art making today. With digital technology many are turning towards a new way to produce a tapestry. Whether it is handwoven on an ancient loom in rural isolation or produced in editions on an industrial scale, I believe tapestry is here to stay, and should become increasingly viable within a museum and market sector.

What advice can you give to aspiring textile artists?

My only advice to any artist or maker is to be true to yourself, work hard, make connections, Find your tribe, enjoy your life and stay safe.

Is there anything you would like to add?

With Covid restrictions all plans for exhibitions are on hold, or gone online. Interconnections, an exhibition of Irish and Scottish weavers is due to open in Roscommon Art Centre on Dec 4th until Dec 18th  2020.

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