g. roslie’s naturally dyed textile art inspired by language - ‘sun dance’

inspirited by natural landscapes and languages that come in all forms, including poetry, words, sounds and symbols, g roslie’s textile art is a culmination of many processes she loves. she begins her work with a landscape photo, a poem, a song or some essence that captures a moment of contemplation evoking a sense of stillness which is then sketched into an abstract modern interpretation. g chooses the colors and hand dyes linens in natural plant and earth pigments to create her own super natural canvas and palette. she makes a pattern from the drawing and utilizing the dyed linens, the piece is cut and sewn together to complete the textile art. g’s intention is to create work that embodies a sense of slow, quieting and contemplative reflection both in herself as the maker and for the viewer while using all natural materials that tread gently on our environment.

: sun dance - an abstract modern expression based on this incredibly important poem about the intimate human connection to the sun, earth & all the elements that keep us alive that the native americans were so in tune with:

Talking with the Sun

I believe in the sun.
 In the tangle of human failures of fear, greed, and forgetfulness, the sun gives me clarity.
 When explorers first encountered my people, they called us
heathens, sun worshippers.
 They didn’t understand that the sun is a relative, and
 illuminates our path on this earth. 

After dancing all night in a circle we realize that we are a part of a larger sense of stars and planets dancing with us overhead.
 When the sun rises at the apex of the ceremony, we are renewed.
 There is no mistaking this connection, though Walmart might be just down the road.
Humans are vulnerable and rely on the kindnesses of the earth and the sun; we exist together in a sacred field of meaning.

Our earth is shifting. We can all see it. I hear from my Inuit and Yupik relatives up north that
everything has changed. It’s so hot; there is not enough
winter.
 Animals are confused. Ice is melting.
 The quantum physicists have it right; they are beginning to think like Indians: everything is connected dynamically at an intimate level.
 When you remember this, then the current wobble of the earth makes sense. How much more oil can be drained,
 Without replacement; without reciprocity? 

I walked out of a hotel room just off Times Square at dawn to find the sun. It was the fourth morning since the birth of my fourth granddaughter.
 This was the morning I was to present her to the sun, as a relative, as one of us. It was still dark, overcast as I walked through Times Square.
 I stood beneath a twenty-first century totem pole of symbols of multinational corporations, made of flash and neon.

 The sun rose up over the city but I couldn’t see it amidst the rain. 
Though I was not at home, bundling up the baby to carry her outside,
I carried this newborn girl within the cradleboard of my heart.
 I held her up and presented her to the sun, so she would be recognized as a relative, 
So that she won’t forget this connection, this promise, So that we all remember, the sacredness of life.

~Joy Harjo

15.5” x 17.5”

naturally dyed flax linen, organic cotton muslin, wood frame

each textile art is made from naturally hand dyed flax linens. the backing is a natural organic cotton muslin. the magnetic open wooden frame lends a beautiful structure & ease of display while keeping the art tactile & accessible.

note: please keep all naturally dyed textile away from direct exposure to sunlight to prevent premature fading & degrading of fabric.