From a recent arts publication: "A Scandinavian sense of colour and design, an affinity with the natural world and attention to finishing details are the hallmarks of the handwoven arts of Janet Whittam. She has always been attracted to ephemera, collage, juxtapositions and relationships between colours and objects. "When she started weaving textiles in the early 1970s, her work was unusual for the depth of colour she used and the many different yarns that went into each project.
"Janet had a very urban childhood in downtown Toronto, with all the stimulation and pleasure that could be found in art galleries, museums, book stores, the theatre, and a large extended family. It was always a dream to move to the country however, and as a young mother with a large new wooden loom and a young daughter she moved to a peaceful farming district south of Ottawa when her husband began a teaching career. There is a large fen with many willows and vines a short walk away from her home and it has been a constant source of inspiration and raw materials for her in every season of the year. "For over twenty years she participated in the One of a Kind Craft Show as well as many other craft shows, predominately in southwestern Ontario. Also, she was one of the founding members of Snapdragon, a fine craft cooperative store in Ottawa, and was a member in good standing of the River Guild Craft Cooperative store in Perth Ontario for many years. She is the originator of the On Common Ground Studio Tour held every October in the countryside south of Ottawa, and for the past three years has coordinated and participated in the Ottawa Valley Handweaver’s Guild Exhibition and Sale. She is planning a series of new basket forms that will showcase a collection of seashore treasures gathered in North Carolina, the Gulf Coast, Newfoundland and Vancouver Island." |
