Winter Girl Drives Across Lapland
Title of the artwork: The Winter Girl Drives Across Lapland
Year of completion: 2016
Size: 29.53 in 49.21 in x 1.18 in
Materials: Wool, linen, steel
Technique: weaving
Hanging: The artwork is stretched on a wooded frame. It is framed with white wooden frame shown in picture. Hang like a regular painting.
The winter girl drives across Lapland with her dog sled, bringing an illuminating snow cover when she arrives. A beautiful weave of stars and snowflakes shimmers against the dark night sky.
The artwork was inspired by the Christmas concert of the a cappella ensemble Rajaton. It is woven with a loom combining picking and traditional weave patterns.
In the sky of the artwork there is a traditional weave pattern called ”karhunkäpälä” (meaning the bear’s paw). This pattern has fascinated me for a long time. It and its variants can be found in old museum textiles all over Europe. It’s like an old folk tale that has traveled from village to village as an unwritten tradition.
