Raglan on the Tasman Sea
September 12th, 2013
Next, Marion and I headed south and west from Hamilton to the small art community of Raglan, located on the western edge of North Island on the Tasman Sea. Our destination was the studio of Jean Carbon. Jean is a popular artist who sells her shibori creations in boutiques throughout the country and this is the view from her studio.
I first saw Jean’s work in a little shop in Queenstown on South Island. I marveled at the rich colors of the tightly folded scarves in the shop. The scarves virtually radiated saturated color. Oh, how I wanted to take one home with me. But here in New Mexico, my home, folks just don’t wear scarves. Dang!
Jean says that fiber is her passion! Her work includes sumptuous silks that are hand-dyed using ancient techniques to create garments and wraps that are timeless, elegant and totally original!
Here, you can see how tightly rolled each scarf is, with only a small hint of the wonder that lies within. Watch as it unfolds.
Simply amazing! The model is the French girlfriend of Jean’s son, possibly a young woman born to be a model.
The shibori design unfolds as the scarf is opened.
When draped around the neck, the colors virtually radiate, nicely framing the face. Jean’s Studio will be one of the stops on the Quilting and Textile Tour of New Zealand next April.
Stay tuned for more of Jean’s work in the next post.