A visit to Exeter

I had an opportunity to visit family in London. I took a brief trip to visit four tapestry weavers who live in and around Devon. It was a  wonderful and inspiring visit but all too brief. I visited the studios of Anne Jackson, Jilly Edwards, Pat Johns and Christine Sawyer. Some of their work is posted here.  From top to bottom:

• Christine Sawyer, 'Out of the Blue' in progress
• Jilly Edwards, 'Memories,'  a sort of woven journal about 3 cm wide and several  meters  long.
• Pat John, 'Crow,' an experimental piece.
• Anne Jackson, a study for a larger piece

I really enjoy the chance to meet and speak with other weavers as I usually pick up some new ideas about techniques and presentation. I suppose since I never studied tapestry at school it is a chance to compare notes and learn more tricks of the trade. I hope to write a more in depth article in the ATA newsletter later this summer.  All of them have very well developed styles and are pushing the traditions in new directions.

Onwards

Well, all my good intentions to be regular about blogging have gone awry. The newe tapestry is developing nicely. I have decided to have a series of graduated colors in the background with a series of twisted yellow streams falling from the top edge. Both the top and the bottom edges will have cut outs where the yellows start and stop. I think this creates a more dynamic feel within the tapestry and also separates the yellow flow areas from the background.
I like the few areas where the two yellow elements flow together. For me there is a subtle reference to the musclature of the human torso which you can notice at the lower part near the balls of yarn.

The most recent Flow

It has been a while since i logged in.  The new tapestry is being woven on its side as that is the easiest way to manage the 'flow' parts. The design of this one required a greater stretch in the fell line (the upper working edge of the piece) and that made it harder to manage the tension. I have some better ideas for the next one.

Here is the finished piece.