Writing with Words and Weft

It took awhile but I finally finished both my ocean poem tapestry banners.  I think weaving poems is just wonderful. A poem is a subtle piece where each word is carefully and artfully selected; a poem told in both words and weft enhance the viewer's appreciation by giving those few words greater depth and visual beauty.

The first tapestry on the left was created during the time of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf and it speaks to the beauty and fragility of the ocean.  The second was inspired by scenes of recent tsunamis where the ocean is clearly getting its revenge.

Left: Ode to the Ocean
Right: Ocean's Revenge

Not Weaving

I am not weaving any tapestry at the moment...finishing several, designing one and racking my brains out on another.  It's an odd place to be.  I spent some time working on a plan as to what I should be working on when in order to accomplish the things I want to accomplish by when.  And I am where I should be.

Our tapestry group is working on a group project consisting of a dozen and a half small tapestries which tell a story.  I finished page 1 and am now designing page 7.  I am scheduled to weave/finish it in September.  Our group projects have lots of rules and regs to follow and this group project is no exception.  There are specified yarns which must be used in at least half of the piece, a red and a blue which must be used in all pieces and sizes to the overall piece as well as the frame.    Such limitations are said to provide greater unity to the combined pieces as well as spur one's creativity.  All true.

The page of the story I am illustrating is an underwater scene at the sandy bottom of the Santa Monica Bay with a menacing surf perch...  I'd like to achieve that impressionistic look with the colors blurry up close but clearing as one steps back.  The size is 9 by 12 inches with a sett of around 6-8.

My first drawing, done on tracing paper and in crayon is on the left along with some of the stipulated palette.    On my next revision, I hope to have a more menacing fish plus show more realistically the variances in light reflections under water.  I think I'll try watercolors instead of wax crayons to achieve a better idea as to what the finished tapestry might look like.

View from my loom 

It's not a rush...I have it laying out on a table in my studio so the yarns and the design can speak to me.  On another table I have my waxed crayons as well as my soluble crayons waiting for their daily spin. And in the corner, my buddy watches.

My Tapestry Spiral in Eureka

Here is a photo of My Tapestry Spiral which is being exhibited at the Morris Graves Museum in Eureka California.  It is always fun to see how the curator will exhibit this piece.   Each time is different.  This time it was the best.  A great deal of care and thought went into this presentation. 


My Spiral Tapestry was woven as a tapestry, thirteen yards long and four inches wide with 182 darts of negative space.  Once completed the negative space was removed by pulling the warp and closing the spaces.  On one end, the original warp was braided and retained. Using this method a wonderful spiral was formed similar to tricolor fusilli pasta or a colorful spiral staircase.  Technically, the shape is a helicoid; a remarkable form which packs great densities into small spaces.  For shipping, My Spiral Tapestry flattens to a cylinder shape less than nine inches wide and only three inches high. Once opened however, the many yards of tapestry take on an organic and lively appearance as they fall from a helicoidal spiral into a droopy yet energetic shape uniquely its own.  

Third Tapestry Banner off the Loom

I finished the weaving portion of my third tapestry banner and have it hanging temporarily on the wall to straighten out a bit before I go further.  It is a bit shy of 100 inches and exactly 20 inches wide.    It's so tall, I need a taller ladder than my two step to raise the nail about 4-6 inches so I can have the tapestry hang without touching the floor.

This banner will have more surface design details than my others.    There was a lot of tension issues in this piece most likely caused by the areas of negative space I have where the warp is exposed.  I plan to add small paintings or drawings behind some of the exposed warp once the kinks are worded out of the tapestry.   I will also be adding some designs in yarn or roving in some other places along with some black beads I have been dying to add to a piece.

I am also considering making the back have an interesting design on the back lining  so the tapestry can hang and be viewed in two directions.   I ran out of time and energy on my first banner so its viewable only in one direction.  The back is simply a red backing and a label.  I am still searching for the right beads for my second banner so I could add an interesting back to it too.

Looks like I will have a fun and long road to the finish on these...

Flamingo at Rest

Here is my tapestry flamingo checking out the backyard.

This is an experimental piece  woven in tiny squares of color so the image up close is pixelated.   It gets clearer as you step back from the tapestry. It's a couple feet high and about 10 to 11 inches wide woven with yarns entirely from my stash.

I was hoping for an impressionist look...like the Monet painting.  That  turned out to be much more difficult that I thought it would. With tapestry there is a high level of commitment to the color woven into the tapestry since changing the colors later is not as easy to do as with oils. With paint its easy to simply paint over the color which was not quite right with a new one. With this tapestry I discovered it would not be until perhaps 2-3 inches later that I would discover a certain color was not quite the right one...

Since its woven in tiny squares of color; four round trips around three warp ends...I can carefully remove a color that is not quite right and replace with another.   So now I am in the tweaking stage; improving on the color selection in both the background and the image.

A bit more tweaking is in order...   but no more for today...my flamingo needs a rest.