This month we get to speak to the lovely Sarah Ward who we thankfully got to meet at Burlington Arcade this year for an exhibition with 'Future Icons’. Ever since we have been totally obsessed with Sarah’s intricate detail and beautiful designs. Sarah is the brainchild behind ‘Lark and Bower’, a creative studio that focuses on hand weaving.
Sarah, tell us a bit about your background? Have you always studied textiles?
I studied Textile Design at Central Saint Martins, specialising in Wovens. I graduated in 2010, though I think we all keep learning throughout the duration of our careers, through our experiences and experiments! I actually went to university with the intention of specialising in printed textiles, but weaving happened to be part of the course. And thank goodness! It turned out print was in fact not for me, but I discovered the magic of weaving and never looked back!
What inspires your work?
I have a huge amount of respect for hand craft - the kind that requires patience and time, and the kind of traditions that have survived thousands of years, being passed down from generation to generation. I also have great concern for the environment and the impact that the textile industry has on our planet and our biodiversity. Sustainability and craftmanship are always the driving force behind my work, and mixed into that comes colour. Colour and woven structure provide just endless possibilities and combinations. I take colour inspiration from allover the place - ceramics, interior design, sculpture, paintings, film, photography, history, books. Sometimes inspiration comes from discovering an interesting yarn. And also sometimes from making mistakes on the loom, or a 'happy accident'!
What is the most important part of your process?
As a maker, of course for me the most important part and most enjoyable is when i can finally sit down and make, undisturbed for a few hours. Running a small business involves a lot of admin, outreach, self promotion, sales and marketing - all important too and necessary - but those things can be a little stifling to creativity. There is nothing I love more than sitting down at the loom to weave, putting a podcast on or BBC 6 music, or doing some natural dyeing in the garden - bliss! After all, if you've not dedicated quality time to the creative making process, then you wont have anything to show, educate or inspire others with, which is the really the whole idea.
What do you prefer, off-loom or on-loom? Why?
Good question! I love both. I think for the times when i just need to get an idea out right away, if i have a colour palette in my head and want to see it materialised then i will go to the loom. But for the times when i need to feel that meditative and therapeutic relief, I will go to off-loom weaving. Both are rewarding in their own way and are to me of equal value. I enjoy the set up process of the loom - the threading of the individual warp yarns through the heddles and the reed is repetitive and satisfying in the same way that using a needle and thread to weave every weft on an off-loom piece is.
What has been your favourite project?
It has to be the Ikat Plaid Series. The endless possibilities that come from the combination of checks, colour and ikat are so exciting and have so much milage. Although this is loom weaving it is anything but fast. Each warp and weft yarn must be individually painted prior to weaving, and must be placed carefully during the weaving process for the check to emerge as the cloth grows. The idea behind this project is to appreciate the 'check' design as a work of art in its own right. Checks are typically seen on shirting, bedding, in fashion and interiors, and always as part of a product, a functional, sometimes 'throw-away' item. The Ikat Plaid Series presents checks as framed artworks for the wall, to be cherished, preserved and celebrated the same way a painting or a sculpture would be. My mother is a painter, and i've used her watercolours for colour inspiration for a few of the pieces.
What are you most proud of?
It's a difficult question - I think we spend most of our time thinking about what still needs to be done, about future goals, and not enough time looking back at what we have achieved so far. I suppose I am proud for not giving up, and for having the courage to start a business in the first place. It is a privilege to be able to do my job and I will be proud if I can manage to continue making and educating for the duration of my career.
It’s been a difficult year for us all, what’s one piece of advice you would give a new creative?
Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Most of us have to juggle a few different gigs to fund our work for a long time before working on it full time. Do your research and see what funding is available to you, and be open to doing a spot of teaching from time to time. Don't under sell yourself to get work. Know your value, and the value of your time. None of us know exactly what we are doing, and we are all in the same boat, so let's help each other along. Someone once gave me this advice: 'Spending time thinking about what you're going to do is just as valuable as spending time doing it.' So don't punish yourself for the hours that you are not physically making.
What do you find is the biggest challenge about running your own business?
Juggling, and there not being enough hours in the day! As a one woman band there is always a lot to do, so it's finding a path through it all without loosing sight of the reason for doing it all in the first place - the love of the craft, educating others, and to keep the art of weaving alive, at least for the next generation.
What’s something you couldn’t live without?
A good mattress, hummus, and my lovely rescue greyhound, Kiki! Having the support of my husband and my family is integral to my day to day life, and the continuity of my business. I'd be lost without them.
What’s next in store for Sarah Ward?
'm participating in the Selvedge World Fair in September (3rd-5th), which is a virtual event giving 150 makers from 78 countries the opportunity to tell their stories. I'll be giving a workshop on off-loom weaving and will have a little store front - you can find out more about that here: https://www.selvedge.org/collections/world-fair
I’ll also be showing the Wood Woven Collection and the Ikat Plaid series with Future Icons from 4th - 10th October, as part of London Craft Week.
How can we get our hands on some of your pieces and watch your journey?
You can visit my online shop for made to order pieces:
www.larkandbower/shop
You can also follow my journey via my instagram, @larkandbower where I post works in progress and publish information about upcoming exhibitions, events and workshops.
We hope you enjoyed reading about Sarah’s journey. I think one thing we realised is you really do have to have a lot of patience and skill to create such beautiful pieces and Sarah definitely has nailed that!
We are excited to also be exhibiting with ‘Lark and Bower’ at the ‘Future Icons’ event for London Craft Week. Come along to the show to see a great group of designers.
Our next ‘ Meet The Maker’ is Gina Pipét who makes luxury fashion products including colourful patterned scarves.
Next ‘Meet the Maker’ will be posted on the 26th September 2021.
