Voice of the Body – a limited edition blanket by Andre Walker

September 2, 2022September 2, 2022 / pendletonwoolenmills / 1 Comment

Andre Walker

We are excited to once again work with renowned designer Andre Walker, as he brings his singular sense of style to the Pendleton looms for the very first time.

Walker imagined, painted and designed “Voice of the Body” in his Brooklyn-based studio with the desire to have it tangibly come to life, and invited Pendleton to transform his artwork for the loom.

The limited edition blanket feature a striking set of deep brown eyes, vibrant pink lips in fellowship with a pictogram-like figure overlaying a cornflower blue, tan and yolk gradient.

Voice of the Body blanket by Pendleton Woolen Mills, designed by Andre Walker

Inspiration for the “Voice of the Body” painting and blanket came from Walker thinking about God and existence. “It’s about the spirit in the gut of our intuition as it remains hopeful in our expression of the voice of the body,” explained Walker. He views the painting and blanket as a muse for the singularity of humanity’s soul eschewing specifics of color, materiality and perception.

Pendleton’s designers and weavers always look forward to the challenge of expressing an artist’s ideas, and Walker’s dramatic vision comes across beautifully. Below is his original artwork, to which the blanket remains remarkably faithful.

Andre Walker's original artwork for the Voice of the Body blanket.

Pendleton and Andre Walker

This is the second collaboration for Pendleton and Walker. The first was Walker’s 2017 collection titled “Non-Existent Patterns” where he used Pendleton fabrics, including the Glacier National Park pattern to create pieces that he originally designed between 1982 and 1986. This collection is currently featured in The Met Museum’s exhibit “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” until Sept. 5, 2022.

“I’ve taken our second exchange with Pendleton to another level, designing a singular textile artwork. I loved the idea that it was a universal utility free of physiognomic boundaries. It was magical to see the image come to life on the looms. Working with Pendleton is a perfect match of know-how, artistry and industry,” noted Walker.

The limited edition “Voice of the Body” blankets, signed by the artist, are now available on pendleton-usa.com and at various luxury retail outlets.

Learn More

See the blanket here: VOICE OF THE BODY

Read previous posts about Pendleton and Andre Walker here:

Pendleton on the Runway with Andre Walker for Paris Fashion Week

Andre Walker, the Met Costume Institute, and Pendleton

Pendleton Weavers Series: Wendy Ponca’s Cradleboard

May 6, 2019April 2, 2020 / pendletonwoolenmills / 2 Comments

Wendy Ponca, Artist

Wendy Ponca is a renowned Osage Indian fine artist. She studied art at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM, with more studies in NYC and Greece.

Artist Wendy Ponca poses before a stone fountain in one of her own flowing creations, a gown in shades of royal blue and purple.

(photo source)

She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Fiber Arts from the Kansas City Art institute, and a Baster’s degree in art therapy at Southwestern College of Santa Fe. She has taught fine arts at IAIA and UNLV, and worked as a costume designer for the Santa Fe Opera. She also founded Native Uprising, a collective of Native American artists, designers, and models.

A Staggering Range of Artistic Talent

Throughout Ponca’s career as an artist, designer and educator, she has designed and shown her own lines that demonstrate her skills in draping, tailoring, beadwork, jewelry, silk-screen printing, ribbon work, body and textile painting.

A group of models stand in a meadow, modeling wearable artworks that incorporate long sheets of shining silver Mylar, by artist Wendy Ponca.

(photo source)

Her work marries traditional elements like shells and buckskin with new materials like reflective Mylar, to reflect the Earth and Sky moieties of her Osage people. Her work is exhibited in museums across the US. Her vibrant ready-to-wear clothing line is available at wendyponca.com.

A Native American model wears clothing designed by artist and designer Wendy Ponca, including a coat sewn from the Sky Walkers blankets. The model is reclining on a Pendleton blanket, as well.

(source)

Pendleton Weaver’s Series Blanket

She has designed several blankets for Pendleton Woolen Mills, including a four-blanket limited edition series in 1995. Her latest is Morning Cradleboard, 2019’s addition to Pendleton’s Weavers Series.

Pendleton blanket, Morning Cradleboard, designed by artist Wendy Ponca. Reverse view of the Morning Cradleboard Pendleton crib blanket.

This child-sized blanket uses a pattern inspired by finger-woven straps used to secure a baby in a traditional Osage cradleboard. Ponca often creates designs that are tactical by intent, offering Nature’s protection. In Osage, the cradleboard is called o-olo-psha, or “follow-trail-of-animals.” The cradleboard was the beginning of the Road of Life as followed by animals to water and food. People take this same path, beginning life as completely dependent, and working step-by-step to self-sufficiency. As the cradleboard protects the baby, this blanket surrounds a child with warmth and safety on the path to growing up.

See the blanket here: Morning Cradleboard

PWM_USA_label

Artist profile: Full Moon Lodge by Starr Hardridge

November 14, 2018April 27, 2020 / pendletonwoolenmills / 1 Comment

The Pendleton Legendary Series blanket, Full Moon Lodge, which shows a tipi under a full moon, in shades of blue, yellow and orange.

Legendary Series: Full Moon Lodge

Pendleton’s Full Moon Lodge blanket is based on a painting by Starr Hardridge, an esteemed artist who earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Savannah College of Art and Design in 1997, with further training in France and Italy. He is a registered member of the Muskogee (Creek) Nation of Oklahoma.

Artist Starr Hardridge at an art show with three of his paintings.

Starr Hardridge

Hardridge has exhibited at the Grand Palais as part of the Delegation Amerindienne in Paris, and took first place honors at the Santa Fe Art Market. In 2005, he earned the title of Superieur de Peinture Decorative from the Nadai-Verdon Atelier of Decorative Arts. Painting provides a deep link to his personal history. As he says, “My heart is in my art.”

He’s worked in several styles, with newer work using a technique based on pointillism and the beadwork aesthetic of the southeastern woodland nations. The colors and shapes in his newer work are inspiring. You can see his portfolio here: Starr Hardridge

Art into Blankets

When translating art into weavings, designers face challenges, especially in terms of the numbers of colors we are able to include. The vivid dyes of our wool captured the hues of the original painting; the drama that results from pairing blue and orange is striking. And the reverse is just as exciting!

The reverse side of the Pendleton Legendary Series blanket, Full Moon Lodge, which shows a tipi under a full moon, in shades of blue, yellow and orange.

The design illustrates the relationship between mankind, Mother Nature and the creator of the universe whose medicine is love. It acknowledges our place between the sun and the full moon.

Full Moon Lodge is part of our Legendary Collection. See it here: Full Moon Lodge

See more of these special blankets here: LEGENDARY BLANKETS