Hand Spun

Pia Skaarer Nielsen , Nova Scotia, Canada documented her process of creating her shapes for the Fate, Destiny and Self Determination project. 

She writes: "I had not woven tapestry for several months, but this project reminded me how much I love to sink into the colours, textures and the story of why I am choosing to weave a piece....time for deep contemplation and the start on another piece on the tapestry loom. "

Pia writes:
" It is strange how something so ‘small’ can take so long to get done, and finished up. Both the pieces were thought long and hard over......Pink Texture - Thinking of the shape and how to execute the actual weaving was not too much of a stretch for my vivid imagination. Then however.....I decided that I needed to do an experiment......I had dyed some of my lamb fleece earlier in the fall and so sat down to spin it one fine evening when I thought I had better get a move on. The idea was that I would spin a two ply, a three ply and a four ply and that the difference in one strand would make a clear visible difference in the woven piece. I wove and felt my brow wrinkle, probably there was more texture to my wrinkled brow than there was to the finished very pink but not very textured piece. In conclusion to this first experiment I have to say, that when I choose to do another piece where the liveliness and the interest is to be in the changing textures I would do not a 2, 3 and 4 ply of the same heaviness single but perhaps a 2, 3 and 4 ply of increasingly heaver singles..... I finished this piece with knots at the edges and then sewing in the ends for final security.........it was a ‘flat’ kind of learning experience, but fun!"

Yellow piece - (below)  knowing how ‘flat’ the pink piece had gone I decided to try some other yarns, having some of the same thoughts. The first yarn chosen was designed for an earlier tapestry project - I had plied and dyed some hardspun warp wool singles - In that project I had been aiming for a variegated yarn so the finished weaving surface would have colour movement that happened according to where the yarn wanted to go, not the colour of the butterflies I might choose to work with. The next yarn that I picked was a very heavy wool single, I think dyed with onion skins. I purchased looms and yarn from the family estate of tapestry weavers Gisela and Hans Dörfer in Little Narrows, Cape Breton some years back and still have some of their handspun yarns. I enjoy using them in various tapestry and weaving projects. The final middle part was spun from a variegated commercial blue faced leicester roving, the colours fit perfectly and the piece that I ended up weaving with just happened to have this greenish hue, although on close inspection it also has a good colour play and changes in it. I chose to finish up the edges with the ‘braiding’ technique I like to finish my bigger tapestries with and was surprised to see how well it worked - it ended up being quite inconspicuous since I had used the same yarn for warp and weft.....which I had noticed on some of the photos from participants who had already sent in their submissions. In conclusion I am excited about the feeling of depth which happened in this piece, due to the play between the textures of the yarns and the colours. 

Sheila Brown, UK. 

Similarly, Sheila also spun her own yarn. She writes that she is a textile artist and doesn't usually work in the tapestry technique. One could never tell based on how beautifully she has woven this little gem. 

OTHER TAPESTRY INSPIRATION, RESOURCES, AND EXHIBITIONS

Weavings by Audrey Moore: Ladies. https://www.storehouse.co/stories/l5fr-ladies

Juana Sleizer is having a fibre/tapestry exhibition.Mimico Centennial Library: 47 Station Road, Toronto, M8V 2R1 Closest major intersection Lake Shore Blvd. West and Royal York Rd. Located on Southeast corner of Stanley Street and Station Road. The exhibit takes place at the Mezzanine and there is no elevator http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMEVT144191&R=EVT144191

Tapestry Tour in the UK with Cresside Collette 

http://tapestrytour.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/mastering-fine-art-of-tapestry-with.html?spref=fb

Cranbrook loom for sale (for the serious tapestry weaver)http://denver.craigslist.org/art/4340473916.html

Purple

Left to right: Bambi Rutledge, Tina Patsourakos and Christine Shipley

A great week! Today several people helped out with the finishing of the international tapestry (Bambi, Christine and Jutta). Tina works for the Toronto District School Board in marketing for the Continuing Education division, took pictures, and interviewed students. 

Jutta Polomski foreground, Michele Dubois background. 

We're nearing completion of one panel and still have a second panel to do. 

I was also very excited to cut off my section of the international tapestry project.....

the back.....

the front.......hmmm. I almost like the back better. It reminds of how chaotic and out of control life can be at times. 

Below, more shapes that have come in to be a part of the international tapestry project. To date, 200 people and 22 countries have participated in this project. New ones are arriving daily. 

Clare Coyle from Scotland, wove a shape in her favorite colour. Go to her Facebook page to see more of her work. https://www.facebook.com/clareccoyle

The colour purple was first used between 16000 and 25000BC by creating blending manganese and hematite and using this powder to draw and paint outlines of animals in caves found in France.  A new source of purple was discovered around 1500BC in the area of Lebanon where an intense and rich purple was created from a the spiny dye-murex, a sea snail. The process of extracting the colour was long, precise and required thousands, maybe millions of these tiny snails. Consequently Tyrian purple became the dominant colour used for the garments, fashion accessories and textiles of kings, magistrates and priests in the Mediterranean and for hundreds of years it continued  to be considered a colour that that conveyed high status.  Mention of it appears in the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament, the Iliad by Homer, in the Odyssey. Alexander the Great was said to have worn Tyrian purple and King Solomon was said to have brought dyers from Tyre to create purple fabrics to embellish the Temple of Jerusalem. The colour purple continued to be associated with sacredness and authority throughout history. Charlemagne was crowned wearing a Tyrian purple mantle, and was also buried in a shroud of the same colour which still exists! In the middle ages and the Renaissance there was a decline by clergy in the wearing of purple garments due to its lack of availability at one point, but university professors of this period modeled their robes after those of the clergy , and employed this colour in their caps or robes. Purple was rarely worn by 'ordinary people' because of its prohibitive up until the 19th century. A British chemistry student by the name of William Henry Perkin produced the first synthetic aniline dye - mauve, which made it instantly fashionable and him a rich man. 

Letitia Roller, Santa Fe New Mexico USA 

http://www.letitiaroller.com/

Letty writes: " I love the idea of having three works related by design but executed in 3 different ways.....about 30 years ago I lived in the Kitchener Waterloo area and used to get to Toronto frequently...fond memories."

Veronica Collins, Scotland. 

http://www.thebritishtapestrygroup.co.uk/artist/veronica-collins/

Gabriela Nirino Laroquette, Argentina

Gabriela Nirino Laroquette, Argentina

Leslie Munro, BC, Canada.

Yellow

Debbie Harris shown here weaving on the group tapestry for the installation, Fate, Destiny and Self Determination. 

Debbie Harris

Debbie Harris has been doing fabric weaving on and off for about 30 years. Her first teacher was Lynne Milgram (now a University professor at Ontario College of Art University - http://apache.ocad.ca/faculty_biographies/bio.php?bid=1311&fac=liberal%20studies)  who also introduced her to the Textile Museum which was then located on Bloor St in the Annex in Toronto, Ontario Canada. Although she had taken a tapestry weaving course for one semester with Frances Key, it wasn't until she watched a Navajo weaver working on her rug in Arizona that she decided to learn more. She has been studying tapestry weaving with Line Dufour at the Toronto Weaving School (www.tapestryline.com) for the past 15 years. A few years ago, she took 2 tapestry weaving workshops with Maximo Laura in Peru where she learned many new techniques. Currently, she has been working on her own Navajo-inspired rug as well as weaving scarves.

Debbie Harris

In this piece, Debbie has used complementary colours. I love the way it radiates from the centre , like a glowing flame. 

"Yellow, in the form of yellow ochre pigment made from clay, was one of the first colors used in prehistoric cave art. The cave of Lascaux has an image of a horse colored with yellow estimated to be 17,300 years old. Yellow is commonly associated with gold, wealth, sunshine, reason, happiness, optimism and pleasure, but also with cowardice, envy, jealousy and betrayal. It plays an important part in Asian culture, particularly in China.

In Ancient Egypt, yellow was associated with gold, which was considered to be imperishable, eternal and indestructible. The skin and bones of the gods were believed to be made of gold. The Egyptians used yellow extensively in tomb paintings; they usually used either yellow ochre or the brilliant orpiment, though it was made of arsenic and was highly toxic. A small paintbox with orpiment pigment was found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun. Men were always shown with brown faces, women with yellow ochre or gold faces.[7]

The ancient Romans used yellow in their paintings to represent gold and also in skin tones. It is found frequently in the murals of Pompeii.

 Yellow has strong historical and cultural associations in China, where it is the color of happiness, glory, and wisdom. In China, there are five directions of the compass; north, south, east, west, and the middle, each with a symbolic color. Yellow signifies the middle. China is called the Middle Kingdom; the palace of the Emperor was considered to be in the exact center of the world.[58]
The name of the legendary first Emperor of China, Huang Ti, meant literally "the Yellow Emperor." The last emperor of China, Puyi (1906-1967), described in his memoirs how every object which surrounded him as a child was yellow. "It made me understand from my most tender age that I was of a unique essence, and it instilled in me the consciousness of my "celestial nature" which made me different from every other human."[59][60]
The Chinese Emperor was literally considered the child of heaven, with both a political and religious role, both symbolized by yellow. Only members of the Imperial household were permitted to wear yellow. Distinguished visitors were honored with a yellow, not a red, carpet.
In Chinese symbolism, yellow, red and green are masculine colors, while black and white are considered feminine. In the traditional symbolism of the two opposites which complement each other, the yin and yang, the masculine yang is traditionally represented by yellow. Just as there are five elements, five directions and five colors in the Chinese world-view, there are also five seasons; summer, winter, fall, spring, and the end of summer, symbolized by yellow leaves

The 18th and 19th century saw the discovery and manufacture of synthetic pigments and dyes, which quickly replaced the traditional yellows made from arsenic, cow urine, and other substances.
Circa 1776 Jean-Honoré Fragonard painted A Young Girl Reading. She is dressed in a bright saffron yellow dress. This painting is "considered by many critics to be among Fragonard’s most appealing and masterly".[9]
The 19th-century British painter J.M.W. Turner was one of the first in that century to use yellow to create moods and emotions, the way romantic composers were using music. His painting Rain, Steam, and Speed - the Great Central Railway was dominated by glowing yellow clouds.
Georges Seurat use the new synthetic colors in his experimental paintings composed of tiny points of primary colors. particularly in his famous Sunday Afternoon on the Isle de la Grand jatte (1884-1886). He did not know that the new synthetic yellow pigment, zinc yellow or zinc chromate, which he used in the light green lawns, was highly unstable and would quickly turn brown.[10]
The painter Vincent van Gogh was a particular admirer of the color yellow, the color of sunshine. Writing to his sister from the south of France in 1888, he wrote, "Now we are having beautiful warm, windless weather that is very beneficial to me. The sun, a light that for lack of a better word I can only call yellow, bright sulfur yellow, pale lemon gold. How beautiful yellow is!" In Arles, Van Gogh painted sunflowers inside a small house he rented at 2 Place Lamartine, a house painted what Van Gogh called "buttery yellow." Van Gogh was one of the first artists to use commercially-manufactured paints, rather than paints he made himself. He used the traditional yellow ochre, but also chrome yellow, first made in 1809, and cadmium yellow, first made in 1820.[11]
At the end of the 19th century, in 1895, a new popular art form began to appear in New York newspapers; the color comic strip. It took advantage of a new color printing process, which used color separation and three different colors of ink; magenta, cyan, and yellow, plus black, to create all the colors on the page. One of the first characters in the new comic strips was a humorous boy of the New York streets named Mickey Dugen, more commonly known as the Yellow Kid, from the yellow nightshirt he wore. He gave his name (and color) to the whole genre of popular, sensational journalism, which became known as Yellow Journalism."

Elizabeth Murdock, BC Canada

To date, we have now received 172 shapes from 22 different countries. More are still coming in. I have approached a number of different venues to exhibit this tapestry installation. All responses have been positive to date, but nothing is confirmed yet.

Elizabeth Murdock, BC Canada

On the right, Darlene Haywood is helping in doing the finishing work on the group woven section of the Fate, Destiny and Self Determination tapestry installation project. We could still use more volunteers to help with this process. Contact me at tapestryline@sympatico.ca if you can make some time to contribute. All those who have assisted in this project will have their names included as co-creators of this project. Across from her is Suzanne Job and Jane Richmond. The person we barely see.....Phyllis Fitzsimmons.  For those who do not know about this project, below a description of the main thrust of this initiative. 

Recently I received a grant from the Ontario Arts Council to undertake a project entitled Fate, Destiny and Self Determination/le sort, le destin et l’auto-determination. Weavers and non weavers from all over the world were invited to participate in co-creating this tapestry installation. It is composed of three sections. Section one is woven entirely by myself in my studio and will measure 60’’h x 36”w. Section three was woven by the public visiting the premises of the Toronto Weaving School in Toronto and it will measure 60’’h x 18’’w. These two approaches, working alone and in a group, on tapestry references the contemporary, traditional and historical practice of tapestry weaving.  Section  two (below)  is composed of shapes, not greater than 10cm (4”).  250 people from 22 countries asked to participate, made possible by social media. The shapes are mostly woven in tapestry or rug techniques, but some are felted, needle felted, knitted, crocheted, sewn, needle pointed. To date 167 shapes have been returned from 22 different countries (more are coming in) and I have been documenting them all on Facebook on a page of the same name as the project as well as on my blog. This part of the project alludes to our multicultural composition as Canadians, as well as reveals that weaving is a practice that is shared with every culture. All who have participated will have their name included as being makers of the tapestry installation. I’ll be putting together a video and slide show of the project and this video will be exhibited with the final tapestry installation if desired. 

The Community Threads tapestries, a community tapestry project I was involved in in terms of art direction and technical support,  are still being circulated and on exhibition in the New Tecumseh region. The tapestries really benefit the somewhat austere environment. A group of 10 tapestry woven banners include images of aspects of living in this community. Sandi Nemenyi writes: 

"Thanks to Linda (Needles) who did the main work of getting up the ladder to hang the tapestries this morning, to Jean who organized the tapestries, and to myself, who just managed to be awake enough to see that the tapestries were (mostly) level.  Thanks also to Vaughn Thurman, Library (in Beeton ) Manager, who helped with the ladder and made sure we were safe! " 

Other resources related to tapestry:

Heading to Aubusson France. Read what's happening in tapestry endeavours there: 

Cite de la Tapisserie
http://www.cite-tapisserie.fr/newsletter/2014/14_01_17/index.html

Jenny Gilbert sends along this link to some simple and contemporary takes on weaving and tapestry weaving as art. http://www.new-friends.us/

Simplified shapes of colour as design feature in tapestry

Joan Griffin

http://joangriffintapestry.com/

Artist Statement: The landscape is the primary influence on my tapestries. I enjoy  taking a detail element of a  landscape and translating it into my own imagery. It may be near  the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where I live or other places I travel. Along the Blue Ridge Parkway was a wonderful collection of pink branches without their leaves in the fall and the contrast of the dark green evergreens behind. I simplified the shapes and work with the colors for my own interpretation.
Village Path was a path I saw in a small village in France with an old gate at the end but I felt as though a sunset at the end of the path was what I wanted.  Forest Edge is a  landscape that I did as a  painting before weaving. I wanted to convey that feeling of when you walk out of the darker forest and into the light and all the colors that meet your eyes especially with the sun shining.
The relationship between color and form is the most important consideration, with combinations of fine wool, silk and metallic yarns because of the different way that they react to light. As each  tapestry develops I have a conversation  with the  shapes and memories  from the landscape and find it a never ending source of inspiration.
Joan Griffin’s BiographyI began my art career as a watercolor painter and art teacher  but became a weaver about 40 years ago concentrating on tapestry for the last 30+ years.  I have been working on pieces from 2 inches sq. for my mixed media pieces to large 8 ft wide pieces. The scale is always a challenge and I like to switch back and forth. My work  has been shown both regionally and throughout the country as well as completing commissions for hospitals, churches, residences and libraries.  I have also participated in the Art In Embassy program sponsored by the US State Dept.  Several times a year, I teach small groups of tapestry students  in my Charlottesville, VA studio. (taken from the ATA website)

Rebecca Mezoff let us know about this: 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is having a show of 20 rarely seen royal tapestries from the early 1500s in October, 2014. In preparation for that, they have launched"Tapestry Tuesdays" on their social media sites. The show which is scheduled to open October 7th, is titled Pieter Coecke van Aelst: Tapestry and Design in Renaissance Europe. Between now and then the MET is going to have tapestry tuesdays which highlight tapestry from their collection.

This week's offering can be seen at THIS link.

Screen shot from the MET's website. See further photos HERE.

Dame Elisabeth Murdock

I came across this tapestry quite by accident. I was looking for a tapestry artist Elizabeth Murdock who lives in BC Canada and submitted a shape for the international tapestry project, Fate, Destiny and Self Determination. I came across this instead:

Dame Elisabeth Murdoch
The tapestry of Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE by the Victorian Tapestry Workshop marked not only the first portrait tapestry for the National Portrait Gallery's collection but was a unique collaborative process and fitting tribute to a remarkable Australian.
Dame Elisabeth is a Founding Member of the Board of Management of the Victorian Tapestry Workshop and has served on committees and boards of many public institutions including the Royal Children's Hospital, the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition, and the National Gallery of Victoria. She is also the widow of Sir Keith Murdoch and mother of the publisher, Rupert Murdoch.
The tapestry was the first portrait commission for the Victorian Tapestry Workshop. The image is appropriately set in Cruden Farm, Langwarrin where Dame Elisabeth has lovingly tendered the garden for over 65 years. The image was composed by painter Christopher Pyett, adapted on computer by printmaker, Normana Wight and brought alive on the loom by Merrill Dumbrell. Funds were provided by Marilyn Darling for the commission to entry the Portrait Gallery's collection.
Simon Elliott
http://www.portrait.gov.au/magazine/article.php?articleID=257

News from Cite de la tapisserie in France: http://www.cite-tapisserie.fr/fr/actualites/la-fondation-dentreprise-hermes-apporte-son-soutien-a-la-cite-de-la-tapisserie

More shapes flying in from all over the world

Tommye Scanlin, from Georgia USA

More submissions are arriving daily for the international tapestry project, Fate, Destiny and Self Determination.   How exciting to have these very talented, experienced and well respected tapestry weavers participate in this project. When I first sent Tommye the shape she was assigned to weave her first impression is that the shape resembled the state of Georgia! My response: no coincidences! Tommye is a very active member with the American Tapestry Alliance and she also took a 6 week course at West Dean in tapestry weaving. She chronicled her experiences on her blog....an excellent and enviable weaving adventure most certainly.  She teaches weaving in many venues in the USA. To see more of her work and see what she's been up to go to  http://tapestry13.blogspot.ca/ http://americantapestryalliance.org/artist-pages/tommye-mcclure-scanlin/

Debbie Herd, Australia titled her shape: "Grampians Conola"

http://debbieherd.blogspot.ca/

Rosemary Horton Anzicek, Michigan, USA. This shape is really three shapes attached together. This is how I sent them to Rosemary and this is how she wove them

Torunn Soderberg, Norway

Torunn Soderberg, Norway

Torunn Soderberg, Norway

Torunn Soderberg, Norway

Emma Jo Webster, Scotland

Emma Jo Webster, from Glasgow Scotland. Emma Jo currently works for West Dean tapestry studio at Stirling Castle where a team of 3 weavers are weaving the last of the set 'The Hunt of the Unicorn' which will be hung on site. Emma says: "An orange shape with a 'nod' to the famous Oak trees of Scotland - that used to cover the countryside - James the 4th used up these trees in building his warships - There are a few left in a place called Strathyre Forrest also known as Baleful Woods - where they are trying to expand the oak woods and look after them for posterity. " Emma Jo Webster is reknowned for her colourist abstract weaving and also for her handwoven portraiture. She has a studio based in Glasgow. Her web page is www.emmajowebster.com. 

TAPESTRY EXHIBITIONS, RESOURCES, CALL FOR ENTRY

Angers, France: 

American Tapestry Alliance

UNTITLED/UNJURIED: small format tapestry 2014. Entry deadline is coming up!

July 8 - August 8, 2014 
URI Feinstein Providence Campus Gallery, Providence, RI
The deadline for entry, which is only your intent to participate, is January 31, 2014. The tapestry is not due until March 31, 2014.Exhibition information. Online entry.

Download an entry form for mailing.  Questions? Email 

Exhibition Chair: Jan Austin.

ATA Scholarship for Tapestry Study 

Deadline: February 1. This scholarship is for any ATA member who wishes to pursue study in the field of tapestry weaving. The application may be for study in workshops, courses, study with individual tutors or institutions of higher learning. More information and online application.

ATB10 - juried exhibition of tapestry exhibited in the USA http://americantapestryalliance.org/exhibitions/atbiennials/american-tapestry-biennial-10-2/

Will you be in Florida? check out this exhibition 

http://www.sarasotaarts.org/directory/tapestry-artists-of-sarasota-sarasota/

Quest

Bonnie Klatt sent pictures of the progress of weaving her shape. 

The Fate, Destiny and Self Determination/le sort, le destin et l'auto determination project continues to evolve. To date I have received 162 submissions from 22 different countries. You can see the progress of the project on the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fate-Destiny-and-Self-Determination-An-international-tapestry-project. I recently received news from my sister in France and in it she stated that this project must be all wrapped up by now. Of course, it's far from it. I guess she hasn't seen exactly how tapestry weaving is done and how slow and laborious it is. It will probably be a good 6 months before it is entirely ready for display. The tapestry panel that was recently completed in terms of weaving, is now ready to have us do the 'finishing' processes'. Agota Dolinay did a huge amount of it over the Holiday Season and we are grateful indeed. More work still needs to be done on the finishing, so if you have an hour or two to spare, please come to the Toronto Weaving School (at no charge ) to help us with the finishing. You don't have to know how to weave to do it. You can come Monday and/or Wednesday between 10am-9pm, 255 Royal York Road, 2nd Floor, Toronto. tapestryline@sympatico.ca.

I associate fate and destiny to some kind of quest. What that quest is, varies from individual to individual. I love to look up definitions of words because it helps me to apprehend the word in greater dimension and depth. and when I looked up quest these are some of the definitions I found.

• a long and difficult effort to find or do something. (This would definitely apply to tapestry weaving! )
• an investigation
• an act or instance of seeking, pursuit
• a chivalrous enterprise in medieval stories involving an adventurous journey

Bonnie Klatt, Buffulo, New York

Bonnie does mostly liturgical commissions. Her work can be viewed on her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/bonnie.klatt.5?fref=ts

In religion, mythology and literature, a quest usually involves a journey that is required to accomplish a (lofty) goal and is often the central focus of the plot, and usually a symbol or metaphor. Quests appear in the folklore of most cultures and usually require a 'hero' to overcome the great obstacles that are strewn on his/her path. This often includes much travel. 

Christa Weitbrecht, Germany

Recently I was looking at Jean Lurcat's tapestries "Le Chant du Monde", inspired by the Apocalypse tapestries in Angers and where they now hang at the musee Jean Lurcat in Angers, once a hospital for orphaned children. Therese Jarry (France), who submitted a shape for this project a while back, sent me this book as well as another book on the Apocolypse tapestries that also hang in Angers, France.Lurcat definitely fits the 'hero' archetype as found in literature and myth. He traveled extensively throughout his life. According to numerous definitions  a 'hero' describes someone who in the face of danger, adversity, challenges or position of weakness or disadvantage, displays courage and the will to undergo discomforts and/or sacrifices in the effort of obtaining some greater good for others, which is usually cathartic. The 'hero'  also holds exemplary moral beliefs and seeks to personify that in his/her behavior. The word 'hero' originates from the Greek and literally translated meant "protector" and  "defender". In that light, Jean Lurcat clearly stepped into that role for tapestry.

Christa Weitbrecht, Germany

Joseph Campbell in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces, describes several uniting themes or stages of the hero in a story which are universal, in spite of the vast differences in cultures and language. The 'Hero's Journey', called a monomyth, consists of three separate stages, including the Departure, Initiation and Return. "Within these stages there are several archetypes that the hero or heroine may personify including the call to adventure (which they may initially refuse), supernatural aid, proceeding down a road of trials, achieving a realization about themselves (or an apotheosis), and attaining the freedom to live through their quest or journey." Wikipedia.

In Jungian psychology, the quest is one of seeking wholeness, defined as the "integration of conscious and unconsious components of the psyche) through individuation. Jung identified instinctual behavioral patterns  that he named 'archetypes'. 

And to help you on your 'quest' here are a few inspiring links and resources for you to feed the fire of inspiration and enthusiasm.

EXHIBITIONS

North Caroline, USA. Sylvia Hayden and Edith London: Together Again. Durham Arts Council http://www.durhamarts.org/exhibits.html

Angers, France. Artapestry3: Aller-Retour

RESOURCES

Rebecca Mezoff reviews a book on tapestry weaving: http://rebeccamezoff.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-threads-course-in-tapestry.html

Apocolypse tapestries: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalypse_Tapestry

Musee Jean Lurcat http://musees.angers.fr/les-musees/musee-jean-lurcat-et-de-la-tapisserie-contemporaine/le-lieu/index.html

The Apocalypse Tapestry of Angers, Liliane Delwasse. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18323254-the-apocalypse-tapestry-of-angers

Jean Lurcat: le chant du monde angers. You tube video describing the tapestries: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3qsnrjutVQ

Tapestry weaving classes continue at the Toronto Weaving School. For more information contact Line Dufour at tapestryline@sympatico.ca.

Enthusiasm and Inspiration

Sue Weir, New Zealand. Her work is featured here: 

http://americantapestryalliance.org/education/educational-articles/what-students-say/susan-weir/

The enthusiam with which people have embraced this international tapestry project/installation Fate, Destiny and Self Determination/le sort, le destin et l'auto-determination, has exceeded my expectations. More shapes continue to come in from all over the world, the bulk of them are woven tapestry. What is this thing called Enthusiasm? Originally it referred to inspiration or possession by a divine energy (eg God ). In the first English dictionary, enthusiasm was defined as a "vain belief of private revelation". The contemporary meaning of enthusiasm refers more to enjoyment, interest or approval....to me a somewhat watered down description of what enthusiasm actually feels like. 

Karen Stevens Australia

felted

Centuries ago, an enthusiast was a person considered to be possessed by a god. It was and still is also used interchangeably with the word Inspiration. At one time it also referred to intense religious fervour, eg a Syrian set of the 4th century were identified as Enthusiasts, who believed that through constant prayer, "ascetic practices and contemplation, man could become inspired by the Holy Spirit". During the 18th century the British employed the term pejoratively for any group that advocated for political or religious causes publicly.

Karen Stevens Australia. Crocheted. Felted.

The Greeks believed that inspiration was equivalent to enthusiasm, which was obtained from the Muses and the Gods. The Norse, Hebrews and Christians, believed that inspiration and enthusiasm was derived from the divine elements and forces. This belief was persistent even in the 18th century with the writings of the philosopher John Locke and Romantic poets (Coleridge and Shelley) who believed that the poets soul was more receptive and attuned to the divine and mystical forces made evident through the results of their inspiration and enthusiasm. That one is suddenly transported beyond one's own mind, and connecting to a force, visions, thoughts, ideas that seem to manifest inexplicably and seems to lift one up above the small and the mundane of everyday life,  is a constant denominator of what it is to be inspired and feel enthusiastic, resembling a religious fervour. That one obtains a 'revelation' also ties it to this spiritual and religious experience.  In many definitions of inspiration over the centuries, it also considered to be a gift that something greater than ourselves gives us.

Karen Stevens Australia. Crocheted.

By the 18th century psychology began to emerge from philosophy with the writings of John Locke who described inspiration as being "a somewhat random but wholly natural association of ideas and sudden unison of thought." He realized that people became practiced in thinking a certain way that enabled them to make connections of what appeared to be disparate things, in other words, hone their abilities at creative thinking, which accounted for greater and lesser insight and inspiration in artists.

Karen Stevens Australia. Felted.

I was surprised to discover that some people think that being creative, inspiration and enthusiasm is only available to a person with a more leisurely life, that is to say that they have no concerns or constraints on their financial situation. Creativity is not selective that way, though, admittedly, it can constrain to what extent one can engage with it, either by restricting one's ability to purchase required equipment and materials, to even limiting the amount of time one can give over to attending to it and producing a certain quality or quantity of work. Given that situation, and having observed what is exhibited in galleries (public and commercial) it does make me wonder if some of our societal systems favour the creative endeavours of those who have financial means. Those with more financial means certainly will have more advantages in that regard. That might be so, but for those who must be creative and live to be inspired and feel enthusiastic each morning when they get up, financial obligation is not an obstacle, even if it means living in a more limited way in other areas of ones life.

Karen Stevens, Austraila. Crochet.

Lori Laberge, NC USA website: http://www.lorilaberge.com/

CALL FOR ENTRIES

UNTITLED/UNJURIED: small format tapestry 2014 

July 8 - August 8, 2014 

URI Feinstein Providence Campus Gallery, Providence, RI

The deadline for entry, which is only your intent to participate, is January 31, 2014. The tapestry is not due until March 31, 2014.Exhibition information. Online entry. Download an entry form for mailing.  Questions? Email Exhibition Chair: Jan Austin.

EXHIBITIONS

Interweaving Cultures

Peter Gray Museum of Art

CUC Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco

November 22, 2013 - January 2014

ATB 10 

Visions Art Museum

May 2 - July 20, 2014 

Opening reception May 10, 2015
San Diego, CA

http://www.visionsartmuseum.org/index.asp

Kent State University Museum

September 25, 2014 - January 4, 2015  

Opening reception September 25, 2014
Kent, OH

http://www.kent.edu/museum/index.cfm

Kaneko 

February 6 - April 18, 2015 

Opening reception February 6, 2015
Omaha, NE

thekaneko.org