Approaching the end of this tapestry

I hope to complete this by the end of the week! Then the hard work begins... the finishing stages that always are more tedious to me than the weaving process.

ATA Retreat "Graduation" photos

Here are the two groups who took part in the wonderful three days of workshops at the American Tapestry Alliance retreat that finished on Tuesday afternoon.  Thanks to Mary Lane for her permission to use her photos here.  Mary was the coordinator for the event, doing this along with her other labors on behalf of ATA.  Thank you, Mary, for everything you do for all of the rest of us in this tapestry organization--and in the larger tapestry world!

Archie Brennan's class members, with Archie sitting in the front:

And Jean Pierre Larochette & Yael Lurie's class members, Yael in front center and Jean Pierre standing  behind her in the center of the group.

I hope everyone made it home from their trip smoothly and safely--if going home.  If you were continuing your travels (as I know some of you are), have a wonderful time.  And I hope to see all of you again in the future!

Day three at ATA retreat--the end!

So many good times were had by all of those who came to the ATA retreat! We've had ups and downs, of course. But it seems that all who came and took part will have something positive to take home with them. Maybe that was a new technique learned. Perhaps it was honing skills already there but needing a bit of work. Getting to know people better--putting faces with names, that's always a wonderful thing to have an opportunity to do.

Mary Lane is already posting photos she's been making throughout the retreat at the ATA Facebook page. Look for an article in Tapestry Topics about the retreat in the future, too.

So... here are a few of my photos from today. I wish for safe travels to all! I hope to arrive home tomorrow before dark and get some rest, with my own pillow at last, then be back at the fiddlehead tapestry on Thursday!




Jean Pierre checks out Sonja's weaving.




Jean Pierre points out details about techinque to Barbara.




Ann inspects what Liz has been doing--Bobbi works away at her loom behind them.




Victoria and Jean Pierre inspect something.




Mary Lane takes a photo of the inspection process... look at the ATA FB page to see her version!




Sharing today... Sonja's work.




Marcia showed her tapestry to the group.
And... a few shots from Archie's class:
























And back to our class with Jean Pierre:




Jean Pierre and Bobbi take a look at Marcia's work.




Beautiful dots and other effects from Liz's three days.




Marcy's hard at work... mirror behind her warp!




Jean Pierre takes a look at Fran's work.




Pamela's beautiful effects using the methods that Jean Pierre shared during the workshop.
Thanks to Mary Lane who worked so hard to coordinate all of the details to cause this wonderful workshop to happen! And thanks to the American Tapestry Alliance for offering opportunities like this. If you've never attended an ATA retreat before, I hope you'll put one on your wish list. I know the next one (wherever it may be) is on mine--and I hope I'll see you there!

Second day at ATA workshop

Lots of photos, brief descriptions. Both workshops seem to be going well for all with good challenges all around. Questions, answers, new friends, old friends, time to focus, time to chat. What more could one want?




Yael described a couple of drawing exercises she wanted us to try--heavy rope was the subject and we were encouraged to first look at negative space, then to do a second drawing in which we drew the contours of the rope pieces. She demonstrated the idea on the white board.
Jean Pierre had invited us to bring tapestries to share and discuss with the class... here are a few of the ones done today:




















And a few photos from Archie's class that's being held next door. They're being encouraged to think of the journey up the warp...




























And ending today with a couple of photos of my work to this point... sketches, the collection of stuff on my table, and the tapestry sampling.








Tomorrow's session will end the workshop and we've still got quite a lot to do!

First day of the ATA retreat at Chapman University

I'm taking the workshop session that Jean Pierre Larochette and Yael Lurie are presenting at this retreat. In the photo above he's demonstrating a technique on one of the student's looms.




He's working with another of the students as we all fought our way through demi-duite, working from the back of the tapestry. Here's his sketch of the process on the white board:




I've also drawn the steps in my notebook and woven several inches using this method. Quite an interesting effect and does indeed move along more efficiently from the back side of the tapestry. I've worked mostly from the front in my tapestry making for quite a number of years now and turning around to the back has a bit of potential for causing my brain to explode... but I'm working through the challenge. I know having a refresher with a master weaver about working in this way will be good for my tapestry skills.
Yadin Larochette, Jean Pierre and Yael's daughter, gave an informative presentation this afternoon about tapestry conservation. She's quite an expert tapestry weaver and does tapestry and other textile conservation at her lab, Larochette Textile Conservation, in Culver City, California.




The other workshop session is being led by Archie Brennan... photos from his class tomorrow, maybe!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Almost to Long Beach...

Well, that was then... (last Thursday, the 19th, when I flew from Atlanta to Long Beach, California.) I spent a couple of intense days with day passes into Convergence vendors hall and exhibits at the Long Beach Convention Center. I'm now at the ATA (American Tapestry Alliance) workshop site--Chapman University, several miles and an exciting shuttle ride later, for the next three days of workshops.

Very nice dinner & get-together with workshop leaders and participants tonight... workshops start at 9 a.m. tomorrow! I still haven't adjusted my East Coast rhythm to West Coast time so am still waking up around 6 a.m. EST... which is now 3 a.m. or so here... and I'm pretty d**n tired by this point! I'm sure I'll be on this time cycle in a few days--like, perhaps by Wednesday, when I leave?

More later!

B/W Fiddlehead progress

 Here's where I am today, July 18...

...about 8" from the top in the highest point, 14" away at the sides.

My deadline for delivery of the tapestry to the Southern Highland Guild's 2012 Members exhibit is August 27.  Between then and now, lots of things are happening--including a trip to California for Convergence and American Tapestry Alliance retreat and a few other things that I'll mention sometime soon.

I'm going to weave for a bit longer today and then do the errands I need to do here before stopping to pack.  I've shipped my loom and workshop supplies to Long Beach; according to the tracking information, my package arrived.  Now, I just have to get there to meet it!

I hope to see some of you there!

Loose ends are still loose!

And will have to remain so for days to come, maybe a week or more. I'm in Savannah right now to see an exhibit (or two or three or...) and then I'm off to California on the 19th for Convergence and the ATA retreat. Weaving has screeched to a halt as other things have taken priority! Deadline for delivery of the current in-progress tapestry is August 27. I'm within striking distance of finishing it in time, once I have studio time again!

Arrowmont--tying up loose ends on the last day... and more news

I'll post photos of our final day's flurry of activities later today.

The other news is that my website is now history!  The Mac iWeb feature is no longer in existence, as of June 30.  I'm taking the link to my former website off the list of places in the side bar.  I'm in the process of getting another web page up and running soon but in the meantime, my Southern Highland Craft Guild page, listed in the side bar, is the best place to see other images of my work.

OK... that's all for now.  More later!