Joanne Soroka
Fractures of the Heart, 2021
Linen, cotton, metallic
174 x 122 cm, variable
£6700 + p&p at point of sale
Fractures of the Heart
In the vague shape of an actual heart, with two fractures, the tapestry represents two significant losses I suffered during 2020, a year of grief. So many other people have also suffered losses; so many have been grieving in 2020 and before. This tapestry is for all those who grieve.
Still I Rise
Along with many others, I suffered two significant bereavements in 2020. I took inspiration from the poem by Maya Angelou, Still I Rise, with its themes of resilience, perseverance and endurance. The cloud shapes suggest rising, lifting. The texture emphasises their ethereal nature, yet they also have substance.
Joanne was born in Montreal and graduated from McGill University, the Nova
Scotia College of Art and Design and Edinburgh College of Art, leaving with a
post-graduate diploma (with distinction). She was the Artistic Director of the
Edinburgh Tapestry Company (Dovecot Studios), before setting up her own
studio in 1987. She makes tapestries, other textiles and paperworks, with
occasional forays into other media. Her work is owned by well-known companies
and hotels. She has won numerous awards.
Joanne has exhibited around the world. She is the author of Tapestry Weaving:
Design and Technique, now in its sixth printing.