Merete Hawkins - Kraka

I have had a few wonderful days emerged in my project.

My idea comes from the Nordic saga about Kraka, who was challenged to by a Viking King to return to him ‘Not dressed but not naked, not in company but not alone, and not fasting but not having eaten’. So she returned wearing a fishing net, with her dog and she had bitten into an onion. I wanted to create a piece which is halfway between fabric and net with an ephemeral feel to it and also using the images from the saga.

I worked on the hanging seriously in February, and it has been more or less dormant since then. But I made a big leap forward in May when I went to North Devon for a few days, I found a piece of wood, weathered and also worn by the sea, that made the perfect hanging frame for the net/piece. This meant I could move forward with construction, sizing it to fit the branch with all its bumps, twists and turns. And then I started stitching, and I have spent the last three days creating the net-effect, which I now feel is complete.

I have reached an interesting stage, I hadn’t anticipated that another layer of colour or stitch would be needed, but looking at it, it clearly does. I am also toying with the idea of adding shells and stones, which were used as weights on fishing nets. So any ideas and comments very welcome.