Whittam Janet

Clothing, household, baskets, all with something unexpected woven in.

Article by Kathleen Hay
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October 10, 2007

Thirty-five years ago when Janet Whittam moved to the Winchester area she wasn't quite sure what to expect. Living in Toronto with her husband, John, she was used to the close proximity of the artistic milieu.

The supposed backwaters of Dundas County? Well, she wasn't sure. So, in preparation for her exodus to the country way of life, she decided to pursue a course in weaving, then purchase a loom to take with her into eastern Ontario. "I was very Toronto-oriented at that point," she admits. "I had inherited an interest in weaving from my grandmother, and before we left Toronto, I took a course in it. "I knew we were coming to the country and I didn't know if the opportunity would come again."

Whittam, a textile artist who founded the On Common Ground Studio Tour 15 years ago, was more than a little pleasantly surprised. Other artists began popping out of the woodwork and, although she continued for a period to participate in Toronto shows, like the One-of-a-Kind, she quickly found similarly minded folks, all with a hankering to share and learn from each other.

People, for instance, a somebody in Morewood who created beautiful appliqued coats, a painter from Finch, tinsmith Greg Pietersma, or potter Janet Keefe. "I began to realize there were a lot of very talented artisans in the area," said Whittam. "But when you're an artist, you don't often have the time to visit the studios of others. "That was one of the reasons I began the tour."

Over the years, too, Whittam has diversified as a textile artist. Not only famous for her beautiful shawls, hooded capes and household linens, she designs intricate baskets from a wide range of materials, incorporating even driftwood from Vancouver Island. "It's always embarrassing when security people go through my bag's," she laughed sheepishly. "Whenever I see interesting pieces, I pick things up. "It makes going for a walk on the beach or in the woods so much more beautiful. "One thing leads to another."

In 2002, one thing certainly did lead to another for Whittam. Contracted by the federal government to be a weaver in the Canadian pavilion, during the World Summit on Sustainable Development, in Johannesburg, South Africa, the creative and thought-provoking conference was truly an incredible experience for her. "The theme of the pavilion was 'Weaving the Fabric of our Common Future,'" she explained. "It was a very interactive project where close to 50 tapestries were completed, and visitors contributed to creating them .

"The first woman who contributed was a member of the National African Congress, and a granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi. "It was certainly the best thing that's ever happened to me in my career." For a person self-admittedly Toronto-oriented a number of years ago, Whittam has truly come to appreciate the craftsmanship in her own Winchester-area backyard.

As the final plans for this weekend's On Common Ground studio tour come together, she's equally anxious to share her talents with others, would be artists or not. "It's very; very difficult to make a living in the arts, and I'm fortunate. "I think one of the perks of getting older, is that you can look back at your life and see how it's fallen into place. It's not always smooth, but the sense of satisfaction is immense," Whittam said.