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Paige Gratland, Artist – West Coast

Paige Gratland is a visual artist and filmmaker. Her work is informed by social history and design to produce projects and objects that explore craft practices, intergenerational exchange, and colour narratives. She learned to weave in 2019 at the Richmond Weavers and Spinners Guild (British Columbia) and is currently enrolled in the Master Weaver Program at Olds College (Alberta). Her exhibition Three Way Mirror with Daniel Barrow and Glenn Gear opens at Grunt Gallery this Thursday December 1 and can be viewed until January 14.

  1. Weaving

I wake up wanting to talk about weaving, and, because weaving is one of the oldest surviving crafts in the world, I have so much to learn. So grateful to my teachers the Richmond Weavers and Spinners Guild, Jane Stafford Online Guild, Laura Fry (Olds College), Toby Smith (Olds College), and Samantha Bittman (Catskill Weaving School) for their generosity, expertise, and inspiration.

  1. Walking

A walking pace lets me take in things around me, aware and open to potential patterns and colourways right under my feet. (Related obsession: Hoka One One Bondi Sr. walking shoes)

  1. Michel Pastoureau

Have you ever thought you were having an original idea only to discover a source material is working its magic through you? This historian of colour and pattern writes beautifully engaging books, which have deeply informed my work – evident in the textile the book sits on.

  1. Silk

I recently started working at The Silk Weaving Studio on Granville Island and am learning all about this miraculous fiber. Pictured here is Red Eri Silk with its naturally occurring (not dyed) warm coppery gold colour from cocoon (right) to spun fiber (left).

  1. Phranc, The Cardboard Cobbler

I am a forever fan of artist and musician Phranc, who creates sculpture out of hand-painted paper and cardboard. I’m excited about our upcoming film project together: a documentary that follows the making of Phranc’s memoir, a multi-media art installation that spans over forty years of her life as a highly visible, gender non-conforming, butch, queer, visual artist and performer. Stay tuned!

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