Vesna Pleše

PenelopeNow

Weaver

Japanese technique meets Croatian heritage

Vesna specialises in the Japanese ondulé technique
The colour combinations she uses in her dyes are inspired by nature
She is influenced by her painter mother and furniture restorer father

On her hundred-year old loom, Vesna Pleše weaves yarn that she dyes herself. Born into a family immersed in the arts, she studied weaving at the School of Applied Arts and Design in Zagreb, where she has been sharing her expertise as a weaving professor since the early 2000s. Vesna balanced her career as a skilled costume designer with her devotion to weaving for several years. "Hand-weaving requires patience, love and plenty of time," she says. While she embraces a variety of techniques, Vesna holds a special fondness for the Japanese ondulé method. In parallel, she maintains a connection with the incredible heritage of traditional Croatian weaving by making throws and shawls.

Interview

When did you know you wanted to pursue weaving?: As a child, I always drew or made something with my hands. I drew a woman at a loom when I had to draw my future profession in elementary school. I grew up among paintings, threads, fabrics and knitting. My mother was a painter, and my father worked as a furniture restorer.
How did your journey with your craft begin?: I started by learning to weave at school in 1972. For my 18th birthday, I received my first loom so I could weave at home. One of my proudest achievements was having my work exhibited at the prestigious International Triennial of Tapestry in Łódź in Poland.
What do you love most about what you do?: I can take a white thread, dye it, weave it and create a unique object. This fills me with happiness and satisfaction. I am proficient in various weaving techniques, but I especially love the ondulé technique, which is rarely woven around the world.
Do you have advice for people interested in weaving?: Patience and dedication pay off in the end.

Vesna Pleše is a master artisan: she began her career in 1975 and she started teaching in 2000