Interview with Emily Gillies
Handmade Rugs by Emily
Instagram: @emily.gillies.96
What kind of artwork do you create?
I make hand-woven rugs, placemats, yoga mats, table runners, tote bags, pillows and tapestries.
Where did you learn your craft?
I learned from my Grandmother. She and my Grandfather bought two double-harness looms as a craft to enjoy in their retirement, and sadly my Grandpa passed away soon after that. For the next 3 decades, until my Gramma was 96, she operated a tiny, seasonal, commission-based community craft store on her rural property in Northern Wisconsin, and she continued to make rugs and quilts. My family would spend a month at Gramma’s home every summer, and during my teenage years she taught me how to weave the rugs. Using materials already prepared for weaving, I was so happy to spend afternoons alone in the basement with the looms, listening to loud music and drinking cans of pop, feeling and watching the colours and textures develop right under my hands. That was where I put in my ‘ten thousand hours’ of learning a trade. I also loved when customers would stop by. I would proudly accompany Gramma down the hill to her ‘Log Cabin Craft Shop’ and help display, talk about, and sell the handiworks.
What is the inspiration behind your work?
I was only 5 years old when my Grandpa died so I didn’t know him well but I feel his spirit around me when I work and when I encourage other people’s creativity. His career was as a high school biology teacher, but he was also a multi-disciplinary artist, musician, and man-of-all-trades around their acreage. His creative spirit was felt everywhere around their home, from the oil paintings and wood-burnings hanging on the walls, to the humble furniture and caning work in use around the house, to the granite fireplace and large wood-burning sauna he built in the yard. He loved to take pictures and give scenic slideshows of their many camping and canoe trips. Being someone who cannot draw or sketch very well, I grew up believing I was not an artist and never could be. However, in my 30s, when I embraced my passion as an artist, I realized how closely I felt my Grandpa’s presence leading me to this gift of a creative life. I’ve given talks in schools and hosted adult classes that encourage everyone to nd and celebrate their own creativity, no matter what it looks like; even ‘simple’ everyday things such as home decor, baking, singing to the radio, coordinating outfits, organizing closets, gardening or yardwork are expressions of our unique creative joys. I believe we all have special treasures inside that are aching to come out in dynamic, joyful ways. By claiming this enthusiasm in how I approach my weaving, and in honouring my Grandparents’ artistic legacies, I hope to inspire others to embrace whatever creative energies that are alive in them.
Log Cabin Craft Shop, Maple WI
What do you hope people will gain from interacting with your work?
In addition to the memories of my Grandparents that are so dear to my heart, I also love that nearly all of the materials I use are repurposed and pre-loved. Together, these aspects bring an element of honouring our precious life experiences and exemplifying care for our environment, both of which are ways to practice true, lived, love. And that’s what life is all about! When I talk with people about learning from my Gramma they’ll often tell me stories of a family member who did weavings or some other craft and it’s a beautiful moment of treasuring family heritage. When folks offer their used pants or old bedsheets to be turned into rugs, I know that the life experience embedded in those fabrics will continue in a new form. It’s a joy for me to scavenge thrift stores for bright corduroy, old chenille or other hard-to-find fabrics, and to dream of how they’ll combine into something new and fresh and fun instead of being tossed out to a landfill. Making a custom rug for someone, in just the right size and colour, brings happiness to them, to me, and to all who visit their home- and I love building pleasure in tangible ways. Soon I hope to offer the service of turning the clothes and personal items of someone who has passed away into a wall or floor weaving so that the special memories of a loved one can be preserved into a family heirloom. Meaningful ways to experience love, joy and loss add to the richness of our lives, and I love to cultivate times when we have awareness of the preciousness of life.
Who are your art heroes or current influences?
In addition to how my Gramma’s lifestyle influenced me, I am also highly inspired by small community groups and average, everyday people who commit to their craft. In my 20s I was amazed at the talent and dedication of a friend, Lindsay Arnold (lindsayarnold.ca), who put together her own studio in our tiny village, and I watched closely as she persevered to make a mark in the Saskatchewan art world and beyond (she has since accomplished much in various disciplines!). Seeing my first works as a budding landscape photographer, Lindsay invited me to be part of Visions Art Guild, where I was exposed to different art mediums and the fantastic, eclectic, caring mix of people who loved and toiled at their creative endeavors. Being welcomed into this artistic community bridged the gap between my earlier joy of weaving and finding my footing as a working artist in our province. Truly artists and art-lovers come in all shapes, sizes and ways of life, as I realized people with regular day jobs + kids + basic grind of life also have basements full of art supplies, half-finished works, and pieces for selling at local craft shows and farmer’s markets. I champion the work of local arts councils and the individuals who put in so much volunteer energy to bring works of (he)art to schools, communities, galleries, camps, parks, etc. My small-prairie-town roots go very deep, and I love what can be accomplished by well-meaning and committed folks, especially when bringing more beauty and thought-provoking items to our often shallow and too-fast-paced world.
What are you currently working on?
I am currently working on setting up a new studio! I recently bought a new home in a different city means which means that studio space is under-going transition. I’ve moved one of my looms to the basement of my new house, which will be shared space with my two teenage sons, and my other 4 looms are in a workspace graciously donated to me by a local church. The juggle continues of what materials and tools to store in each space, and how to carve out time in the calendar for working at each loom as necessary. This Sales & Marketing Masterclass through the SCC came at a perfect time for me right now with the shift of studio space, and to help launch my new offering of the Memory Tapestries.