Tapestry Highlights of 2023
As I’ve done in the past, I begin the new year with a look back on the highlights of the past one.
2023 turned out to be an unusual one with some unexpected twists and turns.
The first of those twists was in January when a friend sent me a picture of a tapestry loom that was for sale in our area. If you’ve read my blog posts over the last year, you’ll know that yes, it was a Tissart, I did go get it and bring it home. It needed a lot of work but is now finally proudly standing in my studio with my next project begun. January was also a big month for me in that I finally began to learn Photoshop techniques for designing tapestries. I’ve written a little bit about that here so won’t go into detail. Other projects included continuing the piece on my Shannock and a small color sample for a future weaving based on a prairie photo.
In February I began the larger Prairie.Jan.1.2023 and continued with the still untitled Shannock piece while trying to balance my time between the loom and the computer. Learning Photoshop was totally captivating, but very time-consuming!
In March, my world kinda turned upside down with another (huge and winding) turn: I found myself diagnosed with Hashimotos, an autoimmune disease. No drama intended. I mention it only because suddenly much of the time I’d previously been pre-occupied with tapestry- I was now deep diving into health websites -even deeper than previously, that is. I’ve always been health conscious, so this really threw me.
However, life - and tapestry - went on and I continued to make steady progress on the Shannock tapestry, finishing it mid-month. As if a reward, the month ended with a wonderful, memorable trip to Arizona for a workshop with one of my favorite tapestry artists, Julia Mitchell.
Still plodding along with Photoshop techniques and working on designs in April, I think this also might have been the month I agreed to join some of my Waterline pals in the next collaborative project, Murmurations (follow #weavingmurmuration on IG for updates).
May is always a month I turn my focus to the wildflowers in the prairie. I think every year I pick one to study. May 2023 my photo stream was hijacked by Wild Blue Indigo, one of the first to appear and always a favorite of mine. I normally fixate on the seed pods, but with the PS designs in mind, this year I focused on the blooming phase.
But I seemed to be having more fun with the echinacea images.
I also finished the larger Prairie.Jan.1.2023. Oh, and because I was seriously taking charge of my health this year, I got aggressive with some neck pain and had PT appointments twice a week for a couple of months. Between the PT and Infrared saunas, I was going into town 4 to 5 days a week. (Trips into town are something I normally try to avoid as too disruptive to my studio schedule. But… it had to be.)
My big event in June was the Midwest Weavers Conference: Confluence of Threads in Des Moines, Iowa. I taught 5 days of classes there and it was a very special experience. I wrote about it after coming home so you can read it here, but let me just say that those Iowa gals really know how to put on a show. My mentorship with Mary was coming to an end as I continued working on the designs begun with her guidance. It turned out to be not a good year for new wildflower photo ops; sadly, the drought here nipped a lot of growth in the prairie.
one of my favorite designs (with still some work needed) from the mentorship
Sampling for Murmuration began and as I wavered over which loom to devote to it, I started a new tapestry on the Zeus. It had been warped and waiting for longer than I care to admit. Sensing the need for a change, I pulled out all the ends from previous tapestries and sat down to begin.
To be continued… Part Two…