An event review by Along the Line blog writer Beth Hoyes

This was my second experience of the summer Make/Shift Monday workshops at Redline Contemporary Art Center and oh my, it didn’t disappoint! This month’s Woven Drag Portraits, run by Steven Frost, involved exactly that: learning to weave our favourite drag performers. July’s Make Shifters filtered into RedLine, where a long table was laid out in the large window-lit area near the front desk. A sculpture, Nausy Nausy, by Laura Merage brightly covers one end of the room, made out of plush multi-coloured shapes.

At the beginning of the workshop each Make Shifter made a name tag, found a spot at the table, chatted to each other, and popped over to the snack table laid out at the side of the room for the odd slice of pizza, soda, or craft beer. As it reached 6 p.m., everyone settled into their seats to listen to Steven as he welcomed us and introduced the workshop. First, we went around the table saying our names and our favourite drag performers - or whether we didn’t have a favourite, or know any by name. I love drag performances, but I must admit I’m terrible at knowing any names. When the time came to work on our drag performer, my next door neighbour kindly gave me her second image of a performer that she’d brought. Coming from England to Denver a couple of years ago, I hadn’t seen RuPaul’s Drag Race before, so it seems I have a lot to catch up on! Steven then talked us through the process of weaving on a laser cut mini loom - a design that is perfect for weaving on the go. I’d never tried weaving before, although I’ve always loved the look of woven art. Steven is self-taught, having started several years ago as part of working towards teaching fabric arts. He now has a huge passion for weaving and has some beautiful collections online.  

Steven is quick to wit and super welcoming, so the workshop was funny and relaxed. He passed out info sheets that were packed with links to help us with any on-going weaving journeys. (Interested? Check out instructions here!) The workshop was pitched at the level where someone can grab hold of the process whether they were already pros, or still beginners. As Steven wrote on the hand-out, “Your weaving can be figurative or abstract but it must be fabulous.” He told all of us that even if we were aiming for an entire loom of one neon color, fabulousness was the way to go. Halfway through introducing the workshop, Steven pointed out the nearby yarn collection, piled with options for us to choose from.  He commented on how he isn’t really an ‘earth tone’ kind of person - with all sorts of glitter, shiny, and neon yarn options. I especially loved this yarn table, I’ve never been a dab hand at knitting and hadn’t tried weaving before this, but I’ve always loved the colours and textures you can get with yarn. On getting closer to all the sequined, fuzzy wonder of the pile, I could see that this was my kind of yarn pile! In a nutshell the weaving process involved setting up our mini looms after choosing a base yarn color to create the striped structure to weave our patterns through, with the option to draw out a design on a pre-made diagram designed to help us work out a pattern.  We picked colours from the yarn pile, setting our ‘shed sticks’ (thin pieces of wood that look like large popsicle sticks) to lift alternate strands of yarn from the striped background (also yarn), and got into the rhythm.

Remembering all the steps of the process felt a bit daunting at first, but everyone along the table helped each other out whenever someone got stuck and each weaver was happy to share their knowhow. Steven was at hand for any unsure Make Shifters, meaning no one was left behind. I decided I was not quite ready for a whole performer, so I focused in on an eye, adding colours as I went. Granted I have a little way to go on my weaving skills, but once you get the hang of it, the rhythm of winding wool in and out as your design form is so effortlessly pleasing. However, I did find that if you lose focus for a second, it’s easy to misstep! As we chatted in groups, I heard many saying how much they loved working with the yarn in this way. Yarn has always reminded me of wearing woolly jumpers on the English and Irish coast, feeling cosy and being well kitted out to brave the windy beaches. Other’s spoke about blankets and comfort when thinking about yarn, especially some of the softer yarns. There is something so soothing in its tactile nature. 

It was hard to stop weaving as the workshop came to an end; it seems to have that kind of mesmerising effect. The workshop finished with Steven telling us where to go for guidance on how to remove our designs from our looms when we’d finished. I love how this workshop was so different from the first I went to (Acrylic Toner with Tony Ortega), showing how much the workshop leader and project shifts the feel of the space and makers.

Beth Hoyes is an Artist, Writer and Art Therapist from London, UK. After completing her Creative Arts degree with honors at Bath Spa University, specialising in creative writing, stop-motion animation and wood engraving, she went on to train as an Art Therapist at Goldsmiths University in London. Her current art practice revolves around nature, animal folklore and symbolism through large scale charcoal drawings, print making and embroidery. Most recently, Beth runs a small embroidery business, Rabbit Hat Designs. You can learn more about her on the artist's website.