This naturally dyed, handwoven series features the vision and handwork of artist and craftswoman Melody Joy Overstreet, and describes the dynamic presence and movement of water as it transforms throughout our world. This body of work is titled Water’s Song, and is inspired by water as a force that reveals our profound interconnectivity with one another and all of life.
Weaving is an ancient medium. In many myths and spiritual traditions across cultures of the Earth, the world is referred to as a cloth. When the world is in a state of disharmony and chaos, it is seen and referred to as a tattered cloth. The work of the weaver is to pick up the threads and begin to weave the world back together again. As a weaver, my intention is just that— to hold space for us to remember the sacredness of life and honor our humble place in the more-than-human world by weaving cloth imbued with harmony, memory, and story.
This work is handmade with 100% earth-based materials. Each piece is created with natural unbleached linen, and finely spun organic heirloom cotton and linen that the artist hand-dyed in a fermented indigo vat that she seasonally tends. The work is woven utilizing a subtle inlay technique, which allows the artist to paint expressive gestures with thread.
This body of work took over 7 years to develop from concept to technical form, from research into the realm of textile arts to an apprenticeship with a local master weaver, practice in the realm of natural dyeing and design, to operating a loom and orchestrating the hand-weaving of each piece.
Please contact melody.overstreet (at) gmail.com if interested in purchasing.
WATERFALL
Both subtle and refined, this piece describes the gesture of water as it cascades down a waterfall. This wall-hanging measures 14.75”W x 12.75”H and is sewn to a wooden dowel for ease with installation. Due to the nature of natural dyes, this piece is subject to subtle change over time.
10% of sales from this work will go to The Homeless Garden Project.
$12,000
CURRENT
Current describes the subtle gesture of water as it undulates, appears at increasing depths, and mirrors the surrounding landscape. This wall-hanging measures 12.75”W x 14.5”H and is sewn to a wooden dowel for ease with installation. Due to the nature of natural dyes, this piece is subject to subtle change over time.
10% of sales from this work will go to the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance, an organization dedicated to restoring the food systems that support Indigenous self-determination, wellness, cultures, values, communities, economies, languages, and families while rebuilding relationships with the land, water, plants, and animals that sustain us.
$12,000
TRIBUTARY, Diptych
This diptych describes an aerial view of a segment of an estuary as it fills during high tide before it reaches to connect to the larger sea. This wall-hanging measures 13”W x 8”H and is sewn to a wooden dowel for ease with installation. Due to the nature of natural dyes, this piece is subject to subtle change over time.
10% of sales from this work will go to the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band.
$10,000
RIPPLE
This piece describes the interplay of both light and shadow as a single drop of water creates a ripple. This piece metaphorically speaks to the ripple effect each person, community, or action makes within an interconnected world. This wall-hanging measures 12.75”W x 13”H and is sewn to a wooden dowel for ease with installation. Due to the nature of natural dyes, this piece is subject to subtle change over time.
10% of sales from this work will go to Honor the Earth, a non-profit organization founded to raise awareness and financial support for Indigenous environmental justice. Honor the Earth is working on numerous projects of social and environmental impact, including the protection of sacred, life-giving water.
$12,000
STREAM
This piece describes an aerial perspective of a narrow stream as it snakes and stretching across a landscape. This wall-hanging measures 12.75”W x 11”H and is sewn to a wooden dowel for ease with installation. Due to the nature of natural dyes, this piece is subject to subtle change over time.
10% of sales from this work will go to The Fabrica, a community textile arts and salvage workshop based in Santa Cruz, CA, where folks can come to learn and share knowledge about textiles arts.
$8,000
RIVER
This piece describes the subtle gesture of water as it flows and undulates as a clear river on a bright sunlit afternoon. This wall-hanging measures 12.75”W x 11”H and is sewn to a wooden dowel for ease with installation. Due to the nature of natural dyes, this piece is subject to subtle change over time.
10% of sales from this work will go to The Fabrica, a community textile arts and salvage workshop based in Santa Cruz, CA, where folks can come to learn and share knowledge about textiles arts.
$10,000
VAPOR RISING
This piece describes the subtle movement of water vapor as it gently rises along with the sun— a brief moment where tiny droplets of water acend in the quiet of the early morning. This wall-hanging measures 22.5”W x 12.75”H or 12.75”H x 22.5”W, depending on how you would like to install the piece (please email the artist to indicate your installation preference). The work is sewn to a wooden dowel for ease with installation. Due to the nature of natural dyes, this piece is subject to subtle change over time.
10% of sales from this work will go to NDN Collective. As self-defined, NDN Collective is “an Indigenous-led organization dedicated to building Indigenous power. Through organizing, activism, philanthropy, grantmaking, capacity-building and narrative change, we are creating sustainable solutions on Indigenous terms.”
$18,000
MIST
The coastline is shaped by wind and the dynamic movement of ocean waves and rain as it pulses across time. This piece describes the soft movement of early morning mist as it touches the coastline. This wall-hanging measures 12.75”W x 15”H and is sewn to a wooden dowel for ease with installation. Due to the nature of natural dyes, this piece is subject to subtle change over time.
10% of sales from this work will go to The Loveland Foundation Therapy Fund. With the barriers affecting access to treatment by members of diverse ethnic and racial groups, the Loveland Therapy Fund provides financial assistance to Black women and girls seeking therapy nationally.
$12,000
NIGHT SEA
This piece describes the dance of ocean water swayed by gentle wind and illuminated by moonlight on a dark night. This wall-hanging measures 12.75”W x 12.5”H and is sewn to a wooden dowel for ease with installation. Due to the nature of natural dyes, this piece is subject to subtle change over time.
10% of sales from this work will go to The Water Protector Legal Collective, an Indigenous-led legal nonprofit that provides support and advocacy for Indigenous peoples and Original Nations, the Earth, and climate justice movements..
$12,000