Jasmine Cull was interviewed by Mark Kilfoil on CHSR's (97.9FM) program "The Lunchbox," on August 15th, 2018.
MK: Nice to meet you, Jasmine. JC: Nice to meet you, Mark. MK: Tell me a bit about the artwork that you do JC: Well, I work in various materials. This week at the Fredericton Arts Alliance residency, I’m primarily working in basket-making and felting. MK: I saw you when I came in. It looked like you were wrapping glass around a beach ball. Is that an accurate way to describe it? JC: Well, I’m working with what’s called either bullrushes or cattails that you find along the ditches or along the river here in New Brunswick. And so I’m using the beachball as a form to make a basket around, so I keep building up, weaving in a random fashion around the ball until it has enough structure to hold itself, and then I’ll remove the ball. MK: In a random pattern? I guess when I look at weaving like that, I usually think of it as a very regular pattern. JC: Well, I teach and I have taught the traditional way of weaving; there’s an order to it, whereas what I’m working on, the beach ball, it is in and out, but it’s not in any particular fashion. If I see there’s a hole that needs to be woven into, then I’ll do that and make sure that it’s covered regularly around the ball. MK: Now you mentioned you were using reeds, which are typically found along waterways. Is that inspired in part by this theme? I think this year it’s water? JC: Yes, it’s the Saint John River theme. So I’m trying to use some local materials and working colours and shapes that are inspired by the river. MK: Are those typical traditional materials as well? JC: The cattails are, yes. I think they have been found in native sites; cattails, various things made out of baskets or mats. MK: So take me back. What was your first involvement in basket-weaving or in felting? Was this something you did when were young and it just kind of stuck or was it something you did later on? JC: Actually, it was during my studies at NSCAD in Halifax. I did a course that they had opened up in the summer. It was called “Basketry by the Sea,” and the teacher was Jolene Goldman; she’s quite well-known in Nova Scotia. So I did a course with her in the summer and I just fell in love with it, and I just continued on. I do various other things as well, but basketry remains as one of the core things that I do. MK: What about it really attracted you? JC: Well, at the time I was really focusing on weaving on a loom, or two-dimensional flat, looking at it as I’m weaving, and I really enjoyed going three-dimensional and being able to work in a more sculptural way with the materials. MK: Is there a way to divide the intense physicality of doing this work too? You described weaving, which is also very physical. JC: I really enjoy working with my hands and there’s a quality to it; as I’m working, it feels very meditative. MK: So I saw you had what looked to be three quarters of that beach ball covered. How much does that represent in terms of work? JC: I worked around 10 hours. MK: And it’s all green at this stage. Well it remain green? Is there a preservative involved? Or is it naturally going to age? JC: It will naturally age and turn that kind of brownish colour that cattails do. MK: Is it perishable then? JC: It will stand up. I’ve got a basket that I actually did in my course, Basketry by the Sea, made out of cattails, and it’s still in perfect condition now. I mean, I wasn’t filling it with all sorts of heavy IM’s or anything but it’s still around and didn’t have anything to preserve it. MK: Baskets are interesting because they actually represent a transition between something that’s very, very practical; the ability to build a sturdy, carrying material is important, into something that also has this artistic element to it. Are you looking to go on the more practical end when you’re building something or are you looking to go on the really sculptural, artistic end? JC: I tend to go on the more artistic, sculptural type of basket. I really appreciate all baskets, but when I start to make something that’s more along the lines of art, I enjoy working more. MK: So how do you express that artistic nature of the basket? What do you inject into your designs? JC: I often look at natural forms, seed pods, and natural forms that kind of lead me into different shapes. And as I’m working on a basket, I’m often thinking about the next. What else can I do? How can I push this in a different direction? MK: Do people realize the amount of handwork that are in baskets? We live in a world where practically, it seems, that everything is extruded or created out of plastic. Do people realize how much handwork is involved and are they surprised? JC: I think so. The students that I’ve had over the years, I teach beginner basketry class, and everyone, I think, goes away thinking “Oh, I can really appreciate all those ones that I see around in the dollar stores or whatever.” There’s a lot of work that goes in to it. Typically, I remember I when I was in school, if there was a class that was kind of an easy class, they’d say “oh it’s a basket weaving class.” MK: So what do you think about it being the butt of a joke? But honestly, there’s a lot of work involved. JC: There is a lot of work involved. MK: Why do you think it has that weird nature? JC: I don’t know. MK: Is it because it looks to be simple? JC: Maybe that’s it, or that they’re so common, people see them around so much, they think “it must be something really easy to be made.” MK: You do this course on basket-weaving. How else have you been looking at basket-weaving if you’ve had chances to work with, say, indigenous artists who do this as a part of their heritage. JC: I do a lot of work with Katie Augustine; she did a black ash basketry through EdVentures, and I took that with her in the summer one year, and really enjoyed that. MK: So you’ve incorporated some of that into your designs or? JC: I haven’t. I find it hard to get my hands on the black ash. It’s not easy to find sometimes, so I haven’t used it a whole lot. But I really enjoy working with the material and I really appreciate the history, and people will come up to me and say “my grandmother bought a basket way back when and I’m still using it today.” MK: And it’s one of those things where, when it’s aged, they actually look a lot better. They grow very distinct. Now you’re using green reeds and cattails here. What other material do you make your baskets out of? You mentioned the black ash. JC: I do some baskets that coil baskets, more of a stitch basket, and I use a hemp core with a wax linen thread. A wrapped basket, and I use reed that’s imported from tropical countries; it doesn’t grow here. And then I’ve also used materials that have been in my garden, like grape vines, and I recently tried working with birch bark. MK: I was gonna ask, because you’re using what can be, essentially, renewable resources. I was gonna ask if you had ever tried growing base material. But I’ve never heard of using grape vines before. JC: Yeah, actually we just moved from a house that had a wonderful grape vine, and it needed trimming quite often, so I could get materials from that. Now, my new place has a very small grape vine, so I’m just watching it and waiting for the right time. MK: A different kind of gardening; gardening for materials I guess. So you also mentioned felting; what sort of work do you do with felting? JC: That’s something that I’ve mostly learned on my own. I love fibre arts in general, and so that’s one of the things I thought I’d give a try and I just really enjoy working with the fleece and I love natural materials, and I love colour, so I dye my materials and I just enjoy the process. MK: So what sort of things do you make out of felt? JC: For this residency I’m doing little felted vessels, and with the colours I’m trying to keep with the river theme and do greens and blues. But for sales and whatnot I’ll do little ornaments, so I’ll be doing mice and owls. MK: So what’s the shape of a vessel? What would a typical one look like, if there’s even a typical shape. JC: So it’s kind of a rounded form with a circular opening in the top. MK: Does it have a structure inside or is it the felt itself which is the structure? JC: It’s the felt itself. So I use a flat form, a circle, and work over top of that. And when the fleece is holding together enough, I’ll pull out the form, and then actually try and fit my hand inside and work it almost like a potter with clay. MK: Do people find that surprising? I do, because felt I think of as a cloth, like as if it was a soft material. But do people find it surprising when you say “well actually it’s the felt itself which is holding it up.” JC: Yeah, people are surprised to see actual three-dimensional forms with the felt instead of the flat. MK: So when did you start the felting? JC: It hasn’t been that long. I would say maybe five years. MK: And was it similar to the basket weaving where you had taken the course and said “this is fascinating, I want to do more?” JC: No, I think I did something with felt but it was already made felt and maybe needle felting on top of it. It wasn’t the wet felting technique; I learned it on my own. MK: And you mentioned the weaving before, so these are not all new hobbies to you, weaving is a very involved activity; you’ve got to have a frame of some kind and some other equipment. JC: Yes, and I did that back when I was in art school so that was a big part of my education there was weaving and dyeing the arms and fabric. MK: Has this always been a passion of yours? When you were a very young kid , were you the one who went digging through all of the sewing or quilting stuff and saying “I’m gonna make something out of this?” JC: A little bit, but not too much. It wasn’t until I went to art school that I really got a taste for it, really, and realize how much I enjoy working with fabrics and dyes. MK: When you started art school, what was your focus at that point? Or was it more a matter of everything? JC: I had gone in and taken some painting and drawing classes, so I was thinking I would probably lean more towards the painting and drawing. And I did, I did some of that as well, and I still work on that at home as well, but I just fell in love with working with fibre. MK: So between the weaving, the felting, and the basket weaving, what has been the crowning jewel of what you’ve made so far, or the most memorable piece you’ve made so far? Not to make you choose between your favourites, as they say, but. JC: I think I really enjoy the large sculptural baskets that I’ve done. MK: How large is large in this case? JC: Almost as tall as me. MK: Wow okay. How long would something like that take? JC: Many hours. MK: Now with the material you’re using, is there a risk that it’s going to dry out by the time you get to the end of something like that? JC: Well, I wasn’t using cattails, I was just using reed, which is really good, sturdy, great for working in that way. MK: Yeah, that’s a pretty tremendous piece. Was it something that you were inspired to do or was it something that someone requested or? JC: One of them had been during a residency actually, and I’m really enjoying the residency; it gives a freedom to experiment and try things. I’m not trying to prepare for a show that I have to sell something; I get to explore. MK: I would imagine too that something that’s come full circle here is that there are people who come by and see this and go “I wanna try that,” just like you did. Have a lot of people had some interesting questions about how it’s done? What surprises you about those questions? JC: I’ve had people come by kind of fascinated watching. Like “oh, that’s how you do that.” And I have had some interest perhaps in doing a course; I have set up some workshops in my home. I have a new studio that I’m in the process of getting together. So I have had some questions about that. And then some people will say “oh, I remember when I was a kid,” and at some point are “yeah, I remember now.” That’s how it’s done. MK: We remember things through our senses, and we often think of sight and hearing, sometimes smell. I’ve got to imagine that sense of touch and a sense of motor action with hands has to be a very strong memory for these people and probably is for you as well. As you said, a meditative quality. JC: It is. MK: So if people want to find more about the work you’re doing, they can of course come down to the barracks while you’re still here. But is there a place online where people can follow and get in touch with you? JC: Yes, I’ve got a website. It’s www.jasminecull.art MK: .art, I like that. Well thank you very much for joining me. JC: Thank you. Listen to the full interview here.
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