Åse Ljones
Norwegian Textile Artist
'“EMBROIDERING TAKES TIME; IT'S A SLOW PROCESS THAT ALLOWS FOR SILENCE. I SEEK SILENCE. I CAN BRING BACK MEMORIES AND FIND NEW WAYS TO GO IN THE QUIETNESS. I OFTEN WORK WITH SERIES, WHERE SMALL CHANGES CREATE A RHYTHM, TRANQUILLITY OR EXCITEMENT IN MY WORKS.”
Ase Ljones grew up on a small, isolated rural farm where the sea and nature met its borders. Life so close to nature caused her to be a part of it and create in the landscape. Ase was surrounded by craftsmanship, with a mother and grandmother preoccupied with needlework and a father who was a boat builder, busy with preservation and conservation. "Hardangersaum" is a special form of embroidery from Ase's district. Formed of circular primhol stitches, they are a technique found in traditional Norwegian costumes from Hardanger, which she learned from her grandmother. Loosely translated as "queen stitch", the method creates miniature perforations across the fabric surface to expose the next layer of fabric beneath.
