Redmond Philbert Handwork

Robert Sheckler

Other

Brooms and Brushes hand made in Maine,

Itie a full line of broomcorn brooms ranging from small whisk brooms to full-sized sweepers. The whisk brooms are tied in traditional American styles, including turkey wing, hawktail, and stitched whisks. In addition to whisk brooms, I tie hearth brooms, traditional cobweb brooms, and sweepers including Shaker-style and woven Appalachian. I occasionally make unique styles that are primarily decorative; otherwise, all of my brooms are meant to be used. Using a different fiber called tampico, I tie small whisk brooms and multi-purpose kitchen scrub brushes. I love to incorporate color into my work, both by working with dyed fibers and by using a wide variety of cordage types for tying and decoration.

In my practice, I create modern brooms and brushes by exploring color, material, and technique within a unique heritage craft tradition. I use simple tools to create my work: tension is generated by pulling cord from a stick under my feet, and brooms are held for stitching with a clamp made of wood and thumb screws. By focusing on simplicity in the process, I've made space to experiment in multiple areas, including non-traditional styles, tying techniques that allow weaker natural fiber cords to be used effectively, and the incorporation of found and thrifted objects as broom handles. I am attracted to brooms because they are useful, everyday objects that are only rarely treated with joy or reverence. By creating colorful, unique, playful, and functional pieces, I encourage people to consider the value of sweeping as a practice and the value of a handmade, natural fiber object rather than the more common synthetic alternatives.