Form Four, Madder

Handwoven panel, framed
 
‘Form Four, Madder’ has been made using regeneratively farmed wool, from high on the Mendip Hills in Somerset. The sheep have been reared in a way that actively increases the biodiversity of the landscape in which they live. Jade’s work uses only materials that can safely be returned to the soil at the end of their long life, providing nourishment to the earth from which they originally grew.
 
It is an exploration of form and colour within the discipline of ‘Rosepath’ weaving, using a technique that Jade has developed over a number of years to create curved lines. The grey and brown colours show the natural shades of the sheep, while the soft pink is a natural dye made with madder root, grown locally in Bristol. 
 
Madder is a special plant that has been used as a pigment since ancient times. It was widely cultivated in the Middle East in the days of the Pharaohs – King Tutankhamun’s burial robes included a madder-dyed belt.