George-Ann Bowers
Berkeley, California
My studio is located upstairs in a converted two-story auto-repair shop previously occupied by Pacific Basin School of Textile Arts (a small independent textile school) from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s. The owners have encouraged art-related tenancy since the school closed, including several working studios, a small gallery, a paper-product and greeting-card outlet, and architects’ offices. I have occupied my studio for more than twenty years.
I share the 1,000-square-foot space with another weaver, and we have filled it with various looms, equipment, yarns, a big worktable, crates for shipping artwork, and more. The studio is also filled with light from the east-facing wall, which is constructed of recycled commercial windows and provides a lovely view of the Berkeley Hills and several neighboring backyards. The premises are graced by two very plump cats who divide their time between our studio, the one downstairs, and the outdoors.
My yarns are organized more or less by color families in large see-through plastic bins that help keep the moths and dust out. Yarns in use on individual projects come out to live in a colorful pile on a table while the work is in progress.
My favorite aspects of my studio are its closeness to my home (1/4 mile), the light and view from the window wall, and interactions with the community of artists who occupy the building. |
George-Ann Bowers, Canyon Kimono, 2006; cotton, wool, rayon, silk, polyamide, silk noil; triple-weave pickup, warp painting; 59" x 58". Photo: Dana Davis. |
