DESIGNING FOR TAPESTRY
ONE DAY WORKSHOP
In this workshop I will address the elements of design and how they relate to the woven structure. Textiles are unique in their design and processes that we use to construct them. Our design vocabulary grows from the techniques that we use to create woven compositions. Come and explore the possibilities through hands on experiments in color, form, and content. All levels of experience are welcome.
PAINTING WITH YARN: SOUMAK TAPESTRY
THREE DAY WORKSHOP
In this workshop students will learn to weave with soumak knots to create a tapestry that has painterly qualities. Inherent in soumak is the ability to weave in an eccentric way allowing one to break away from the ridged 90 degree orientation of warp to weft. By weaving eccentrically we create hills and valleys as we weave down the length of the warp. Tapestry woven in this way has a free flowing and spontaneous quality which gives the finished work a fresh and gestural look. Variations in the technique will be explored as the weaving progresses.
This workshop includes the lecture “My Evolution in Tapestry” which outlines my adventure in weaving over the years. Also included in the workshop is a pre-warped loom which is yours to keep. Some weft yarns are supplied as we will be talking about use of color in tapestry.
COLOR AS ENERGY: EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL, AND SPIRITUAL
ONE HOUR LECTURE
In this slide presentation I will address the physics of light and color in tandem with the spiritual and emotional content that artists express through their work in the symbolic use of color. As a tapestry weaver, I dye my own yarns using a very structured process creating hue and value gradations. Within this systematic process there is an almost magic quality as yarns absorb dyes and subtle tints, tones, and shades develop. The color speaks to me in a very spiritual way. I am captured and transformed by its energy.
MY EVOLUTION IN TAPESTRY
ONE HOUR LECTURE
I have always thought that making art was like taking a journey. As I travel through my work I encounter new things and these things change the way I express myself in my weaving. New ideas evolve and the art that I create is a visual representation of my ideas. I choose to tell my story in tapestry because of the linear nature of the process. There is a beginning, middle, and end as I travel down the length of my warp. I evolve as an artist.
TWO DAY WORKSHOP
In this two day, twelve hour, design workshop we will look at tapestry weaving from all angles exploring the marriage of materials, processes, and ideas. What we create as tapestry weavers is unique to our craft. Materials speak to us as we respond within the format of our processes. We also work within a cultural and historic context that feeds us emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually. Tapestry is also a celebration of the human hand and spirit and is not machine adaptable. We are reminded of our humanity as we engage with our materials directly.
The format of this workshop will include a series of design experiments that relate directly to the processes that we use to create tapestry. As weavers we are constantly reminded of the linear nature of working as we weave our way down the warp. Often times the shapes and colors we use are a series of actions and reactions as we create a composition. Within this spontaneity we use cartoons to control specific images.
Formally, we will look at the elements of design and how they can come together to create a vocabulary for telling a story or expressing an idea. Our language is visual so how do we spell out words using color and form. Students will leave this workshop with a series of design projects that will lead them up to the threshold of their next project on the loom.