No... haven't dropped off the face of the world... just been around!

I'll post some photos soon of my adventures since January 3 when trees began to be cut around our property.  My studio is adjacent to it and the thoughts of sounds of chain saws and chippers for days on end were enough to "make the air nervous" around me (if anyone ever used to watch the TV series, Northern Exposure, you'll maybe remember the reference).  ANYWAY, I was able to arrange a last minute residency at Hambidge Center and away I went.

I temporarily interrupted my Hambidge time when I came home again, meeting up with my husband so we could travel to Nashville to see the exhibit, Stranger in Paradise, work of the Reverend Howard Finster.  Several of the pieces included in the exhibit are part of my husband's collection of Finster's work so he wants to see each venue the show travels to... so far, it's been in Champaign, IL (where it began at Krannert Gallery), then to Chicago; Auburn, AL; Jacksonville, FL; just closed in Nashville, TN.  It will travel to two other locations before ending its two year run ... Akron, OH and then Savannah, GA.  There's a catalog available of the show with essays by several people.  Here's the link to one article about the show: http://www.illinoistimes.com/Springfield/article-7094-stranger-in-paradise.html

Thomas and I returned to Dahlonega on January 9th, then I drove back to Hambidge on the 10th to spend  several focused days in the work I was doing there.  I had several deadlines to complete during these first two weeks of the new year and having the residency made it possible for me to pretty much accomplish what I needed to... a few loose ends to tie up and I'll be moving ahead.

And, one part of moving ahead means a class I'll be teaching at John C. Campbell Folk School beginning on Sunday, the 22nd!  Home long enough to do laundry, have a visit or two with some friends, see art exhibits at the university, repack the car and go again.

SO... tomorrow--maybe--the promised photos.  Got a lot to show!

Tapestry Diary for 2012 has begun

I've started with numbering the day, the month and an abbreviation for the year.  Almost immediately I'll be leaving home so will have to determine my method of marking the missing days.  It's always something!

Tapestry Diary -- Year Three is completed and Year Four is about to begin

With the 31st day of December, 2011, I've finished this year's tapestry diary work!

The process of making a distinct bit of weaving every day is one that I've done for three years and a month now.  My first venture into the idea came in May of 2008 when I did the first piece with this concept.  I didn't quite know what to even call it then... used the term "tapestry calendar" or "tapestry journal" and finally settled into "tapestry diary" as my description.

I'm happy to know that other people are using a similar idea.  Jan Austin's 2010 tapestry diary is quite a beautiful piece and she describes it at her blog here.

Here are a few of the blog postings I've made over the past three + years as I've been involved in the tapestry diary process:

http://tapestry13.blogspot.com/2008/05/more-about-calendarjournal-tapestry.html

http://tapestry13.blogspot.com/2008/06/cut-that-tapestry-off-and-move-on.html

http://tapestry13.blogspot.com/2009/01/first-month-complete-on-tapestry-diary.html

http://tapestry13.blogspot.com/2009/12/last-month-of-2009-tapestry-diary.html

http://tapestry13.blogspot.com/2010/01/tapestry-diary-for-2009-off-loom-next.html

http://tapestry13.blogspot.com/2010/02/tapestry-diary-for-2010-moves-ahead.html

http://tapestry13.blogspot.com/2010/06/tapestry-diary-for-2010-progress.html

http://tapestry13.blogspot.com/2011/01/happy-new-year-tapestry-diary-for-2010.html

http://tapestry13.blogspot.com/2011/01/more-photos-of-2010-tapestry-diary.html

http://tapestry13.blogspot.com/2011/01/january-2011-tapestry-diary-came-off.html

During 2012 my plan is to go back to a single piece for the year rather than to do the separate pieces as I did during 2011.  I've been able to weave almost every day in 2011 but the separate pieces don't have the same visual impact as do the year-long tapestries that result from the daily practice.  At least that's what I think right now.  By 2013 perhaps I'll be ready to do individual pieces once more!

Here's a composite of the months of 2011 (missing March... can't find a photo of it and it's hanging in the Quinlan exhibit so can't photograph it right now).  The pieces are not shown to scale in the composite, by the way.  Sizes vary quite a bit and once I get them all back from the exhibit I'll measure and note sizes here.  For instance, the April piece is about 42" long x 3 or so" wide while the December piece is 7" high x 5" wide:

Earlier pieces are:

2009
12" w x 42" long

2010
12" w x 82" long

The warp for 2012 is on the Tissart loom at the home studio and is almost ready to begin tomorrow morning.  It's a 10/3 linen warp sett at 8 epi X 12" wide.  I have 3 yards on the loom, plenty for the year even if I weave several inches for the daily entries.  I'm not quite sure how to proceed with "theme" (if any)... but by tomorrow morning I'll have to decide something!  I have a bit more to do with spacing the warp and then doing half-hitches before beginning.  I'll do that shortly when I get home.

I wish a Happy New Year for all of you.  I hope your design ideas flow smoothly and your tapestries grow beautifully.  

A Peak Experience

Last Wednesday I was taken on an adventure.  My friends, Noel & Patrick own 100+ acres of a ridge and mountain top near the Blue Ridge Parkway in Western North Carolina.  They have a small off-the-grid cabin there they spend time at whenever they can.  High Knob, where the cabin is located sits at 5200 feet.  There's a narrow, steep jeep road to the cabin and a parking place for larger vehicles about a mile and a quarter below--about 1400 feet below.  Patrick drove to the top in his jeep with supplies while Noel, the dogs and I came along separately in her car.  We parked and started up the mountain on foot. Although I hiked up with them a couple of years ago, this time around I didn't make it all the way up on my own!  I ran out of steam about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way up and absolutely couldn't go further.  I felt light-headed and nauseated, and had to stop to sit down--even threw up a bit!  Noel made sure I wasn't going to pass out, and then rushed on to the cabin so that Patrick could come to my rescue in his jeep--cell phones don't work in that neck of the woods so she was both blowing her emergency whistle and shouting for Patrick on her near run to the top.

After throwing up I began to feel better almost immediately.  I sipped water, began to look around at the landscape, even took a few photos of the leaves just at my feet and the trees and sky... I was standing and walking around by the time they got back to me with the jeep.  They asked if I wanted to leave or if I wanted to go to the top... what do you think I chose?

So... here's a slide show of the adventure.  A few of the photos are also from their other property.  Both places are magical.