Haut Beau

Haut Beau is a label / umbrella for the handweaving work of Montreal based artist Sandy Lamb (me) since 2011.

I focus on keeping the hand in handweaving by working primarily with processes that resist automation or mechanization. I use foot powered 4-shaft looms, locally milled wool, acid dyes, and natural dyes. I dye wool in small batches for each project, mixing the dyes myself and blending the wool for each project.

I mostly use slit and clasped weft tapestry techniques for my weavings. In some of my pieces I employ weft resist techniques for the dyeing of the weft wool. The cotton warp fringes are twined, braided, or hand-knotted.

Since 2011 my work has been winding a long path through the world of weft faced weaving, with each work informing the development of the next. Every time I feel I am ready to explore a different structure, another aspect of weft faced reveals itself to me and I feel compelled to explore it.

My work falls broadly into three different categories. The first category are large and detailed works that require significant investment in terms of time and materials. These are the larger works featured in the Work section of my website. These works require weeks of dye sampling, weave sampling, and the final work itself may take more than a month to complete. These pieces tend to be unique one offs that are not produced again. The second category of work are the smaller pieces which are mounted on panels and for sale in the Shop section of my website. These works take less time and materials, and are a way for me to economically share and sell work. The third category of work is commission based, and can include functional works produced for commercial, private, or institutional clients.

I feel it is important to emphasize that I produce all of the work seen here and on my social media myself in my studio in Montreal.