WI Handweavers Winter Fun

A good way to cure any winter blues is to go to a workshop. It may be February, but what is the chance it would snow on the weekend I teach 17 eager students in Milwaukee WI?

A pretty good chance it turns out, but in the end it all worked out...often the case. And we had a good time, so what more could you ask for?

Color in winter...who can resist that?

The topic was Tapestry Architecture. Wisconsin Handweavers Guild wanted a workshop that all levels could feel comfortable taking, so buildings seemed like a good idea. Idea and technique connected, that's my kind of class.

Ruth and Sherri....us Ruths have to stick together

There was an array of looms of all types; copper pipe, mirrix, pvc pipe, rigid heddle, table looms, assorted wooden tapestry frames...I'm not afraid to give a workshop with this variety. I have my preferences, others have theirs and for some it's their first taste of tapestry. We all learn together and discover what works, what needs improvement.

It's the results that count. I know I've said it before, I learn from my students. They think of things I wouldn't.

I might have arrived back to Madison with a driveway full of snow, but I met 17 new friends,

I'm hoping they try tapestry more than once.

Arlington 2017: The Wheel

January was a good time of the year to have a project. You never knew from day to day what the temperature might be outside. You might as well stay inside and weave.

i was up early...

Arlington 2017 has made progress. One of the tricky parts I had to think about was the wheel. How would I give the impression of this circular wheel and spokes (actually there are two, but one is enough) without worrying about weaving the perfect circle. I rarely have the patience.

the very beginning...the white spots are sunspots, which I need

nothing will be perfectly circular so squares and jogs are important to move the eye...

Then there are the values, very tricky as I make my way to this area. The caisson (in my mind I call it the wagon) is black, the jackets on the soldiers are dark blue and the wheel?...I decided to go with browns. This has been a big challenge.

But so far, so good.

Stay tuned.

Arlington 2017

A new tapestry has me going back to my traditional roots, leaving distortion weave behind. I'm enjoying the change and the opportunity to problem solve.

Hagen pipe loom, warped 26" wide, 10 epi

A  client contacted me with the idea of honoring her father's internment last year at Arlington Cemetery. She sent me photos she had taken and we identified three areas that seemed most important. Drawings and a watercolor followed.

photo resource, color swatches and beginning of watercolor

final sketch, half the scale

This is the perfect way for me to start the new year. It's a very proscriptive idea; I know what I need to do. The colors are a limited palette focused on grey blues and greens, most I have dyed this past summer, and the size is perfect for me, 12 x 22 inches.

What an opportunity!

My biggest challenge is naturally, the values. I need to manipulate the shades of the road, uniforms, and hearse to make the idea clear.

sunspots took over in the frigid temps when I started

Porkchop discovers a prime sunspot

And I will keep you all informed on the challenges as they arise...should be an interesting journey.

Here's where I stopped today...

The Red Stripe

Happy Winter Solstice....and a Happy New Year .

To all.

It's been a tricky year, struggles and stress, but yet there is still so much to be grateful for...

6 inches wide, 10 epi

This tapestry I finished in the fall sums it up for me. A young person determined and hopeful. Creative and ready to face what lies ahead. I call it The Red Stripe.

multiple pieces worked on the loom

Young people inspire me to move forward, to trust in their ideas, to care about their decisions.

Happy New Year to all, stay creative and be kind.

Substitute Tales at the Ballweg Gallery

I wanted to show you how the show I recently hung at the Ballweg Gallery looked, so I brought my camera with me today. This gallery is part of the very active Goodman Community Center located on the east side of Madison, Wisconsin. The calendar of events today was impressive and ranged from Christmas parties to preschool to after school programs.

Here is what the hall looks like, located right off the main entrance.

people pass this area on the way to event rooms

I was especially happy with the effect of mixing the various media together in the show; journal, sketches, and tapestries.

one section of the wall

A few closeups for you...

on the left is the shadow box with my journal

these 3 are 6x6 inches and I made the frames...so proud

sketches from the journal, 8 x 10 inches

i framed 4 of the sketches

and 6 of the tapestries were mounted on painted canvas

It's quite gratifying to see it hung up and organized and inspires me to add to it in 2018.

I needed a new goal.

Four Selvedge Conquered

Well not really. I guess I should have said, " 4 selvedge finished".

That alone is something for me to be proud of.

four selvedge warping set-up on a Sara Swett inspired loom

As you may remember, I went off to see my friends Traudi and Jeanne for the 4 selvedge fun this past October. I learned that there is some skill involved in the warping, particularly in maintaining even warp tension from side to side.
I'm glad I followed advice to make a narrow piece. This is part of my ongoing series of questions: Who ?

ah, the telltale unevenness of a 4 selvedge warp amateur...that funky edge at the top.

One interesting thing I noticed involved values, as my Who suddenly turned into Whop. I couldn't get that out of my mind so I rewove that shape this morning to a lighter value.

Always something to learn.

The Red Stripe

I'm always interested in the development of an idea and where that germ begins. The piece I am weaving now began with a tree down the street last autumn . The colors were incredible, the warm reds and greens of the sugar maple. Near the end of my dyeing season I had just enough stock to do a few complementary runs and fiddled with the formula for the actual red and green. In particular, I wanted a warmer red.

I over-dyed greys and charcoal along with my usual white and cream and did 3 different depth of shades to get lights and darks. What else to do with the results but work on a portrait.

laying in the initial blues for the t-shirt

As you can see from my photos I have started the face next to my last tiny t, it's about 6" wide and I'm not sure how tall it will become before it ends.

had to block out that gal on the left so I could see properly...

All the yarns for the skin tones are dyed from this sugar maple mixture. The dyed hair stripe gives credit to the great advances in such things since my mother told me never bother dyeing my hair - it's bleach blonde or jet black you have to choose from. Now, so many marvelous choices.

notice I re-wove the shadows of the nostrils...a touch too dark

The eyes will appear soon. This girl means business.