ATA NL Spring 09 - American Tapestry Alliance€¦ · 2 Tapestry Topics Spring 2009 Greetings from...

Tapestry TopicsA Quarterly Review of Tapestry Art Today

N e w s l e t t e r o f t h e A m e r i c a n Ta p e s t r y A l l i a n c e

Spring 2009 Vol 35 No 1

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www.americantapestryalliance.org

In this IssueSustaining Creativity

Creative Non-Doing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3By Pat Williams

Sustaining Creativity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4By Ronda Karliukson

Diversity and the Creative Process. . . . 5By David L. Johnson

Mining the Vein of Creativity . . . . . . . . 6By Tommye McClure Scanlin

A Creative Day in a Life . . . . . . . . . . . . 8By Ann Keuper

Stimulating and Maintaining Creativity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

By Michael RohdeFruitful Ambiguity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

By Barbara HellerConnections Exhibitor List . . . . . . . . . 12Tapestry Weavers West Members' Showcase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

By Tricia GoldbergReview: TWiNE on Display . . . . . . . . . 14

By Micala SidoreReview: Different Perspectives. . . . . . 16

By Anne JacksonReview: Putting Content To Color. . . . 17

By Kathe Todd-Hooker ATA Award of Excellence: Tommye Scanlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

By Merna StrauchATA Volunteers - January 2009 . . . . . 20Volunteers Make it Happen: Joan Griffin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

By Linda ReesMember News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Kudos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Creative SustenanceBy Lyn Hart

Creativity: artistic or intellectual inventiveness,according to Webster's, is as essential as air andwater to an artist. At once manna and bane, cre-ativity's ebb and flow dictates our artistic endeav-ors. A topic usually subject to considerable dis-cussion, Art & Fear authors Bayles and Orlandconsider the word itself taboo and make a pointnever to discuss it. In Art & Soul: Notes OnCreating, Audrey Flack likens creative time todream time:

The element of time in the creative process issimilar to dream time. It stretches and con-tracts as you work. You can work on some-thing for weeks and weeks and nothing willhappen, and yet something can transpire inonly an hour. The last five minutes of dreamtime can process data of epic proportions, andyet one needed the entire night's sleep to arriveat the dream images.

Astrid Fitzgerald's An Artist's Book ofInspiration is a compilation offering manyinsights to ponder regarding art and creativity

Lyn Hart, PINACATE SHUFFLE, 9" x 21.5" 2008; natural colored wool, rayon, linen, silk

Ta p e s t r y To p i c s S p r i n g 2 0 0 92

Greetings from Becky and Linda

After the long, cold winter many of you experi-enced this year, the arrival of spring is a welcomerelief. Spring is a season of growth and renewal anda perfect time for "Creativity" as the thematic focusfor this issue of Tapestry Topics. The articles havebeen planned to inspire you and give you insight intothe creative process of other artist/weavers.

Inspiration is important. This fall will bring thedeadline for entering ATB8 and we are delighted toannounce that Rebecca A.T. Stevens, ConsultingCurator, Contemporary Textiles, of The Textile

Museum will be our juror. While acceptance intoATB is always viewed as a pinnacle to strive for, hav-ing your work selected by such a revered curatorwould be as good as it gets! So, create and weave andsubmit. Make sure your work is seen by Rebecca A.T.Stevens and possibly accepted into the next ATB.

ATB7 closed at the Kentucky Museum of Art andCraft in January. Thank you to all the participatingartists and the volunteers who made this outstandingexhibition a success.

Our new biennial exhibition, "Connections: SmallTapestry International" is about to launch its firstopening. The exhibit and educational workshop,Toolkit of Tapestry Techniques taught by ChristineLaffer will take place at the San Jose Quilt and TextileMuseum in San Jose, California in May. We arethrilled with the large, international response to ourcall for submissions and look forward to seeing theexhibition selected by our juror, Jane Sauer. Thankyou to all who entered our first all digital submissionand for complying with the new requirements.

You may have noticed that Barb Richards, ourtreasurer of the past three years has stepped down.Barb finished her term last spring and graciouslystayed on while we searched for her replacement.Thank you for your dedicated service Barb and best ofluck with your new endeavors!

Please welcome ATA's new treasurer RosaleeSkrenes of Wisconsin! Rosalee has over ten years offinancial experience and has seamlessly stepped intothe position. Marcia Ellis of California is ably assist-ing her. We are fortunate to have a treasury team totake care of our financial transactions.

Our first Valentine's Day annual appeal arrived inyour mailbox with the new membership roster. Pleasetake a moment to read some of the work accomplishedby ATA during this past year. It is only through mem-bership fees, donations and volunteer efforts that weare able to support the work of this organization.Exhibitions, programming, the website and thenewsletter are benefits we all enjoy. We recognizethese are challenging economic times, but if you areable please make a donation, upgrade your member-ship or volunteer your time to keep ATA a productiveand viable organization.

The American Tapestry Alliance is your organiza-tion and only exists with your help and support.Thank you all!

ranging from Fitzgerald's own to those from countlessrenowned artists, writers, and poets, such as this onefrom Henry David Thoreau:

I wish to live ever as to derive my satisfactionsand inspirations from the commonest events,every-day phenomena, so that what my senseshourly perceive, my daily walk, the conversationof my neighbors, may inspire me, and I maydream of no heaven but that which lies about me.

Tapestry weaving is not a quick process; Flack'snexus of time and creativity perfectly capture thisunchangeable aspect. Thoreau's musings, however,draw attention to the evanescent nature of innovationitself. We have all experienced the crystalline momentof inspiration that spawns a singular or serial tapestrydesign, but creative juices must be flowing at thatmoment so that we are open to receiving and actingupon those inspirations. Likewise, we have experi-enced not only the exciting surge of passion when wewant to spend every waking moment at the loom, butalso the abject ebb of stalled motivation when sittingdown to design or weave feels like torture.

How, then, do we stimulate, promote, nurture, andsustain originality on a daily basis, and, when thethrill is gone, how do we jump start our creativedrives? Are there parallels or differences amongabstract and representational, male and female, or sea-soned and novice weavers? These are questions thisTapestry Topics' theme seeks to explore. Sincerethanks to the artists who have so willingly sharedtheir thoughts and experiences regarding the creativeprocess. Read on and get inspired!

Newslet ter of the American Tapestry Al l iance 3

Creative Non-DoingBy Pat Williams

My first tapestry workshop was in 1990 with NancyHarvey. Tapestry began as a fierce attraction, and hasincreased in intensity over succeeding years. But I just want-ed to weave; not design. Of course designing is essential, butat first, I resented the time spent on that aspect of theprocess. I would scratch around, aching for an idea, lookingin books to sort of "borrow" ideas. Meanwhile, the emptyloom wept in the background, naked and alone. Somethinghad to change, especially after too many of the tapestriesturned out to be pure blah.

Feeling sorry for me and hoping to stop my whining, myhusband cast about for a Christmas present around 1993 andgave me The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. She outlines atwelve-step program for artist's block recovery. After readingher introduction on Christmas Day, I promised myself Iwould begin on January 1, read one of the twelve chaptersper week, study it thoroughly, and follow all of her sugges-tions—which I did.

The "morning pages" were the key for me. Morningpages are an assignment to write three pages of a journalevery morning. No editing—just "let 'er rip" and write fast.Gradually I began to loosen up and creativity was a bit easi-er. After a while, I began to draw every morning in additionto writing. I buzzed through the writing to get to the draw-ing. The agreement I made with myself about the drawing isto put down whatever image came to me regardless of howdumb, awkward, poorly drawn, embarrassing, or repetitive itmight be. No editing was allowed on the original drawing. Iput them on small pieces of 180 lb. Arches—generally in therange of 30 to 50 square inches. An important aspect of the

Next Issue: The Materiality ofSurface

Our sincere thanks go to Lyn Hart forsuggesting the topic of the current newslet-ter, Sustaining Creativity, and organizingthe wise comments from experienced andnovice weavers.

April 1: Materiality of Surface. A tap-estry is certainly more than meets the eye;it is equally about the hand and the richpossibilities of surface. This coming issueexplores aspects of meaning in tactility andfeatures work that focuses on surface as adesign element. Facilitator: Ellen Ramsey

July 15: Exhibits - Our PublicVoice.Questions for discussion might behow to present submissions, the pros andcons of various selection procedures, themeshows, and the role of exhibitions as ameans of educating the public about ourmedium.

October 15: Tips and Tactics. Submitthe clever solutions to tricky problemsabout looms, cartoons, physical ergonom-ics, techniques, studio design or whateverinnovation you have tucked up your sleeve.This issue will depend heavily on readers'contributions.

January 15: Proportion. Other thanlimitations of loom capacity, how do wetapestry artists determine the size of animage? How do scale and proportion relateto design elements? This is an opportunityfor the mathematically oriented designersto come to the fore.

Adendum: The "Walking the Warp"video mentioned in the article by DorothyClews on page 5 of the last newsletter,Winter, 2008 was created by Chicago artist,Anne Wilson and a discussion of the proj-ect can be seen at: http://www.annewil-sonartist.com/projects/wind-up/text_windup.html

Pat Williams, UT-OH, 12.5" X 18" 2009. Relates to our current disastrous environmental,

economic, and cultural situation.


agreement was to save everyone of them. I drew small inorder to complete them quickly.I did that religiously for aboutsix years.

Concurrent with the non-editing attitude is a state ofopenness and receptivity, relax-ing into the situation, so tospeak. When an image comesalong through my conscious-ness, I look at it and lay itdown on the drawing paper—even if, and this is critical, it isthe same boring elementary-school-style square house,broccoli tree, mountain, andsun with pointy rays. It mightstart out that way, almost likeit's a "test" from the universe tosee if I am truly not editing.There is a knowingnessinvolved, possibly a trance-like state, but without thebruised, demented eyes of Bela Lugosi and weirdmusic in the background. Speaking of music, it israre if there is any present at this time of drawing.

If the drawing turns out to be pure crap, I keep itanyway. Later, I might see a seed of an idea that canbe developed. Sometimes, even then, I still have theurge to wad it up, stomp on it, and throw it into thefire while muttering under my breath. I suppose youmight say that I have trained myself to bypass theego which, given it's way, encourages me with thatcrazy nagging ego-voice to be perfect, which itknows I can't be perfect. In fact, Pat Williams is aposer, fake, and will never ever become an artist, "nomatter what, ya fool!"

I no longer draw every day, but the channel ordoor to creativity has apparently been permanentlypropped open. Now, I carry a sketchbook in mypurse and draw on trips or odd idle moments.Sometimes I have an itch to draw and draw all daylong for several days. When I get a commission,research and reading come first, then I draw outideas. What has not changed is the no editing on firstthoughts. It has been amazing to me to see whatcomes out by not editing.

A drawing of a cross-eyed woman was perhapsmy first "break-through" drawing that was the begin-

ning of an artistic voice forme. I drew quite a few ofthem before it occurred to meto weave one. They lookedridiculous and absurd. I hadnever seen such before, but Iloved them. They made melaugh, felt good, andexpressed my attitude to life.I played around with tweak-ing the design of my firstcross-eyed piece quite a bitbefore making the cartoonand wove "Barking Dog" in2000. The dog is small, hard-ly recognizable as a dog, andbarking into her ear. I usedmetallics and experimented abit with novelty yarns. As Iwove, I became connected tothe piece in a way I had notexperienced before. It was atrance-like involvement and

great fun. It took me a while to actually show"Barking Dog" to anyone, but when I did, the reac-tion was that they laughed. I liked that.

The next cross-eyed tapestry was "Meditation,"and then more faces of women. During a workshopwith Archie Brennan and Susan Maffei, Archie sug-gested I weave a full figure. Duh. Of course. Theresult was "The Beginning" and then "Homunculus."In the past nine years I have lost count of the piecesin what I now call the "That Woman" series.

Sustaining CreativityBy Ronda Karliukson

My imagination is full of unwoven weavings. Ihave never had a problem of becoming inspired orstaying inspired. My creativity feels like a river, roar-ing at times but always flowing, demanding release.My biggest impediment in the past was my inabilityto fully express that creativity. Before I began weav-ing I was painting. Painting was not my thing. At thetime I did not know any other way to attempt torelease my vision. Providence introduced me to weav-ing. When I found weaving it was like coming home.There was an instant connection.

Pat Williams, BARKING DOG, 11" x 10" 2000. The first in the series appears

immobile, almost frozen. Her eyes offer the idea of motion, albeit inside her mind.


In 2006 I began a new series of tapestries called"Edges". The idea behind this series was to figureout a way to make tapestry more sculptural. Thepieces are woven and then shaped once removedfrom the loom. They are embellished with variouscombinations of beads, waxed linen knotting, andcrocheted elements and are then mounted on paintedindustrial felt and stretched canvas. To date I havecompleted eight pieces in the series and have twomore in progress. As I work on each I have time tothink about what the next piece in the series willlook like and in what ways I can expand both thescale and dimensionality of the work.

The idea of mounting tapestries on painted indus-trial felt and stretched canvas came to me from workin my ongoing mixed media series, which have thesame mounting. There are two series that I add toeach year. One is called "Spirits" and uses mask-likeimages either drawn on paper and scanned intoPhotoshop or images drawn on a digital tablet direct-ly into Photoshop. Over the past several years I haveperiodically added images to the spirit sketchbook.When I'm ready to work on the next pieces in theseries I spend time reviewing the drawings, pick theones that appeal most to me at the time, and thencolor them and print them on inkjet canvas. Afterprinting, the images are embellished, usually withbeads and waxed linen, and then mounted on felt andstretched canvas. Each time I work on one of theSpirits or review the drawings in the sketchbook Iget ideas for the next phase of the series. Some ofthe Spirit drawings have also become tapestries.

But I certainly faced many frustrations. One wasmy lack of skill to weave what I wanted to. The sec-ond was my lack of skill in the dying process. Today Ihave overcome those hurdles. I feel adept at my cur-rent weaving and dying skill levels. I certainly do notfeel like I know everything! But I feel I know enoughfor now to communicate what I want to the viewer—and to release my creative energy.

Landscape has always inspired me. Anothernewer inspiration comes from the work of other tap-estry weavers. Pamela Topham's "Water Music" issuperb. (See TT Winter 2008.) So is "Edge of thePond II" by Julia Mitchell. James Koehler, RobinReider and Michael Rohde are rich in their interpre-tations and offer the viewer a creativity source.

If you are feeling uninspired my suggestion is tofind a tapestry weaver whose weaving resonates withyou. Their work can inspire you. Not to copy thembut for you to weave your own interpretation of yourinspiration. Of course my other suggestion is to spendsome tine out on the land. You will be sure to findsomething out there that will inspire you.

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Diversity and the CreativeProcessBy David L. Johnson

I have been weaving tapestries and producingother fiber related work for more than 30 years. Overthose years both the form and content of the workhave changed dramatically in response to changes inmy ideas about process, materials, and artistic intent.The question of how I "stimulate, promote, nurture,and sustain creativity on a daily basis" is one that isalmost constantly on my mind. The request from ATAto write about the topic offers a welcome opportunityto answer that question and put my thoughts on thesubject to paper.

I think the simplest explanation I can offer for sus-taining my own creativity is that I work concurrentlyon diverse projects and that allows for an ongoingchange of focus and renewing of energy. In addition, Imade a decision about twelve years ago to work on asmaller scale. I think that decision has been of enor-mous benefit in allowing me to finish pieces morequickly and to experiment more widely with bothprocess and materials.

David Johnson, GLASS BLOCK WINDOW BOX, 3.25" x 3.25" x 2.25" 2008. Handmade Origami boxusing colored card stock, digitally altered photo on

Epson paper, beads, waxed linen


for the process. Another device that often works forme is to go for a long walk with my camera, prefer-ably in an area of the city that is new to me. That issure to inspire. I also have an album in my iPhotolibrary that I call my Inspiration Collection. It con-sists of images of other artists' work that I havelooked at in books, magazines, exhibition catalogs,and on web sites. I never intentionally copy anotherartist's work, but I do get inspiration from it.

Another thing that quite often works for me is todream about a solution to a creative problem. I talk tomyself before going to sleep about the problem andask for my dreams to provide a solution. They fre-quently do. It's always amazing to me when I wakeup full of ideas about a current project. It's like I keptworking on it all night, even though my consciousself went to bed.

And, when all else fails and I am just not surewhat to do next, I step away from it all and knit asweater, crochet a scarf, learn a new piece on thepiano, or, best of all, go on vacation and leave every-thing behind for a time.

The other mixed media series is called "Artifacts"and consists of digitally altered photographs of urbanartifacts - old walls, doors, windows, fences, brokensidewalks, vents, grates and manhole covers - whichare printed on inkjet canvas and then embellishedwith beads and waxed linen. They are also mountedon industrial felt and stretched canvas. The photo-graphs celebrate what Thomas Moore calls "the re-enchantment of everyday life" by looking for beautyin unlikely and frequently overlooked spaces. I ammost attracted to spaces in which nature has begun toreclaim what men have built. My iPhoto library con-tains more than 13,000 images. There are family,friends, and travel photos in the library, so not all ofthem relate to the Artifacts theme; but whenever Ineed inspiration I just spend a couple of hours review-ing the photos and an idea usually comes to me.

And, finally, I have a line of retail work consistingof fiber-based jewelry and handmade Origami boxes.The jewelry relates to the photographs and eschewsthe use of silver, gold, and gemstones in favor ofearthier elements: tapestry woven pendants made ofwool and cotton, crocheted pendants that are coatedwith paint, digital images printed on inkjet canvas orpaper, and painted industrial felt. All of them usewaxed linen and are embellished with wood, seed,stone and/or glass beads. I often make my own beadsfrom vines, twigs and tree branches or from rolled orprinted paper. Many of the jewelry pieces have a trib-al look about them. As a weaver who has spent muchtime studying ethnographic textiles and other arti-facts, that seems to be a logical connection. The jew-elry and boxes can be executed rapidly and it is veryeasy to allow possibilities for new work to generateand develop as I work on them. Sometimes a piece ofjewelry regenerates itself as a tapestry or mixedmedia project.

Working variously on these several series is usual-ly enough to keep the creative juices flowing, in thatideas generated from one series often overflow intoanother in some way or other. But when I feel frus-trated or bored with what I'm working on and havethe need to jumpstart the inspiration process I have avariety of means to do that. I maintain what I call my"seed catalog" which consists of a portfolio of draw-ings that goes back nearly 30 years. I periodicallyopen the portfolio and have a look. Each time itseems that a few of the drawings will come to thefore and invigorate my creative thinking. I may notuse the actual image, but it serves as a starting point

Mining the Vein of CreativityBy Tommye McClure Scanlin

Creativity—that elusive and precious quarry! Icontinue to find myself challenged to discover ways tomine the vein of creativity. I search for inspirationand, once found, I am then confronted with the chal-lenge of how to turn those ideas into tapestries.Luckily, over the years I have developed an array ofstrategies that help dig into that hidden vein.

For instance, I have often thought the answer toeverything is in a book—I just need to locate the rightbook. I have searched among many writings for theanswer to the ubiquitous question of "How does onebecome more creative?" When I bought the book TheMind's Best Work by D. N. Perkins a few years back, Ihoped it held the secret of how individuals came upwith novel ideas. But what I learned from Perkinswas that there is not a magic formula for "being cre-ative." Instead, it results most often from—work!

The process of digging for inspiration then devel-oping it further is sometimes painful, sometimes joy-ful, but always must be accomplished by action.Writers often say: "You have to show up every day…"and that is true. Effort has to be made every day just


them to be a great way to get niggling anxieties aboutwhat is going on in my life into the words on the page.That "gerbil-wheel" cycle of worries spinning in mymind can be quite debilitating to my expressive side, ifI let it. I feel being faithful to writing the morningpages has enhanced my tapestry making through help-ing me generate ideas that I can then take further.

Drawing on the Artist Within by Betty Edwardsgives excellent suggestions for quick visual exercises. Ihave found several of the exercises to be helpful forpushing me out of my typical approach to designing.One of the resulting compositions has turned into a tap-estry entitled "Spring Profusion." Other designs gener-ated when working through Edwards' book wait to bedeveloped into future finished work.

I have found that workshops are a great way tobecome quickly immersed in a topic or medium. Forinstance, in 2008 I participated with a few others indirected individual studies led by Steven Aimone at hisAsheville, NC, studio. As we worked, Aimone talkedabout working in flux, letting the image grow, and mak-ing changes along the way. One of his comments was,"When in doubt, make big changes!" We took this toheart as we sometimes erased hours of earlier work witha few strokes of white paint. He encouraged us to con-sider nothing precious in our composition… until justthe right time when all parts came together in a pleas-ing unity. Steve Aimone, the author of Design!: ALively Guide to Design Basics for Artists &Craftspeople, is an inspirational teacher, and taking hiscourse has given me more options to consider whendesigning for tapestry.

Finally, one of my most treasured ways to developand nurture creativity is by spending time in a settingremoved from my daily routine. A favorite retreat loca-tion is with friends on their 120 acres of wooded land inthe mountains of Western North Carolina. Countlessdays in the past twenty years have been spent at theirplace being inspired by the woods, creeks, waterfallsand pond, as well as by their organic gardens andorchard. In fact, many of my tapestry images of thepast two decades (like "Yates") have come from photo-graphs, drawings or paintings I have made in those sur-roundings. My friends have placed their land into aconservation easement, and it will be preserved toinspire others in generations to come.

I also value the times spent at the Hambidge Centerfor the Creative Arts. Among the oldest artist retreats in

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to have a chance of discovering the potential hid-den gold mine of creativity. I have learned thatevery day I must look, draw, paint, take photo-graphs, read, ponder, write, and weave.

Occasionally I can devote only 15 minutes tothe process. But if I miss those few minutes, thenI lose positive momentum and a negative cycle ofun-productivity may follow.

When reading, I know a book will not "makeme creative," but the author may suggest cluesabout where those veins of creative gold lie. Acouple of books I've found quite helpful are TheArtist's Way by Julia Cameron and Drawing onthe Artist Within by Betty Edwards.

In The Artist's Way, Cameron advocates whatshe calls "Morning Pages"—three pages writtenby hand first thing each morning. The daily writ-ings, Cameron says, are not to be read by oth-ers—or even necessarily re-read by the one whowrites them. I tried the morning pages but onlyfor a few weeks several years ago. In February of2008 I decided to try the process again and stickwith it. Now I am eager to get up each morningand get at these pages. I usually spend about thir-ty minutes and a cup of coffee on them. Cameroncalls the morning pages a "brain drain," and I find

Tommye Scanlin, SPRING PROFUSION, 30" x 25", 2008; wool & cotton

the United States, Hambidge is located in thenorth Georgia mountains, near the small town ofDillard. I was accepted for my first residency atHambidge in 1994, and that experience was piv-

otal for my artwork at thetime. I have returned sev-eral times since, and eachretreat has been beneficialto my tapestry making.

The Center acceptsartists in any creative fieldincluding visual art,music, writing, dance,theatre and others. Six toten residents are there atany given time with over-lapping stays, some fortwo weeks while othersmay be at the Center forup to eight weeks. Thecost is quite reasonableand the only expectationof residents is that allcome to the main house tohave the evening mealstogether. The generousmix of personalities,media, and experiences ofthe residents providesgreat artistic ferment,adding a dynamic atmos-phere to this special place.

Finding and sustaining creativity is a distinctchallenge, to be sure. Yet it's a challenge thatcan be rewarding in many unexpected ways, ifone shows up every day to do the work. In mycase, the work must involve thinking about andsearching for innovative solutions. I havelearned I must do the work to pursue what I trulylove, the making of images and the weaving oftapestry. Probing for veins of inspiration; record-ing thoughts and images in words, sketches, pho-tographs; seeking guidance and instruction; andfinding places that nurture and celebrate the gen-erative process feel important for mining the cre-ativity that lies hidden in each of us, just waitingto be revealed.


Tommye Scanlin, YATES,

34" x 16", 2006; wool & cotton.

Private Collection

A Creative Day in a LifeBy Ann Keuper

I want to start with a story; the story of my day.

At the turn of the New Year, I decided to schedule10 hours of studio time into my week. Wednesday andFriday mornings, 9:00-1:00 and a 2 hour evening ses-sion was my time to turn off all busy work and to turnon the creativity. Today is Wednesday, the first chanceat trying out my new schedule.

My day began last night. I made a nice meal and myfamily arrived home, all in the usual expectation torelax and eat, do homework, shower and go to bed.Before dinner my husband and I got into an argumentafter which neither of us felt like eating. So, I went tobed still upset, did not get a very good night's sleep, wasawake and had disturbing dreams. My neck was bother-ing me too, my body stiff. I need to start stretching. Ourshower had been sending off some electrical shocks andwe were becoming the grounds for the electrical currentbetween faucet and tub. An electrician needed to comeASAP. The family took off for school, my son upsetabout the shower situation. I cleaned the kitchen andbriefly met with a countertop installer in an almost com-pleted remodel we are doing. My mother met me for thestudio time since she wants to be a part of it too. It wasalready 9:30. We made coffee and talked a bit. Then itwas time. She stopped me from feeding the chickensand doing another load of laundry and… dragged me in.

I then began to move things around in the studiofeeling like it was a mess and not set up for both of us.She quieted me down again. "Come, let's just have amoment of prayer," she said. So we did. We prayed forprotection from interference for the time we were thereand for the creative creativity to come forth. We beganby warping a tapestry frame loom for her.

I have been struggling with writing this article. Ihave so many "tools" that I know about, use and suggestto others. Yet, there just has been something missing.What is it really about the creative process that I wantto tell others; what is the core of the matter for me? Ithink the problem is what I go through every day; thateverything tries to stand in my way of working. Even inthe studio, my daughter calls from school, upset withsomething. I do not like to answer the phone then but Icannot help answering her call. I am stiff, I am sore, andmy unsettled mind has a hard time warming up to mytapestry and seeing what it wants to tell me.


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So, I think if there is any wisdom to be learnedfrom this day's story, it is to allow the right brainsome space. Let all left brain activity cease… theplans for the day, for the future, thoughts of the past.Weave. That is all. Weave and see where it takes you.

The electrician came, the problems began tomount and I again succumbed. I cannot wait untilFriday. And, I will try to go to the studio in the timesin between, even to just say hello.

Anyone interested in talking about the creativeprocess is invited to write to me at [email protected].

During the warping process, we began to talkabout this article I was writing. Mom started talkingabout an article she read recently about a women whohad a left brain stroke and for many years livedentirely on the right side of her brain, her creativeside. After years of therapy, her left brain did fullyrecover at which point she said that living in the rightbrain had been the most blissful state she had everexperienced. After knowing this about life, she wasable to switch from left to right brain activity at anymoment. The woman, Jill Bolte Taylor, was inter-viewed in the recent AARP magazine (Nov/Dec2008) and has written a book about her experience,My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's PersonalJourney.

I began to weave on my tapestry that had haltedmonths ago, if not longer. I began introducing newmaterials and began weaving eccentrically to break upa grid structure. I just began weaving, not knowingwhere I was going with it. I still do not know but Iam hopeful it will take me somewhere.

I do know that the tapestry weaving process forme is both right and left brain. Weaving is naturally aleft brain activity, over, under, what goes over, whatgoes under, counting threads, turn. It wants perfec-tion. The right brain keeps the piece alive as I moveaway from perfection and challenge myself by addinga new texture, or technique, or image. I begin with aconcept; I draw, photograph, think, look, gather andcollect materials and colors. I begin with a size andformat that seems interesting, feels right. If I weave aplan, I cannot keep to the plan. Years ago in figuredrawing class, I could never contain the drawing withinthe square frame; it was more interesting to let it grow.

I know enough that when I get to the loom, thatthe piece in progress may need to change direction.What direction is not easy to figure out but it is a veryimportant part of creativity and something I know Ihave to face.

Why is it that the left brain takes over? Even thisexercise of writing about the creative process is thatleft brain kind of activity. How can we allow the rightbrain to be more often present? How can we help it toexist? Because, when the right brain is fully present,the dialogue between the work and the artist happens.That moment is when the tapestry lives, in the time-less space, in the present, in the magical, the indefin-able and what comes into being is greater than the leftbrain can conceive.

Stimulating and MaintainingCreativityBy Michael Rohde

Stimulating and maintaining a creative 'high' seemsthe ideal of anyone trying to make something new, butbeing constantly in an innovative mode is not neces-sarily an ideal situation. If we were to always be in agenerative mindset, how would we be able to siftgood ideas from bad, or at least the less good ideas?In fact, in talking about the creative process, manywriters mention how important it is to have times for abreak from sustained effort on an uncompleted orunrealized project. Rollo May, in "The Courage toCreate" observes that often when a roadblock occurs,the answer or inspiration will come at the time whenyou take a break from the pursuit of that goal. The 'ah-ah' moment comes when you stop thinking about it.

Tapestry weaving is an art that does not lend itselfreadily to generating inspiration on the spot while youare working on a given piece. The process is so slow,that most weavers only begin weaving after spendingmany days, weeks or months developing a specificplan or cartoon. So the creativity for that piece comesduring the design. Fortunately, while carrying out therote motions of the weaving process for the first piece,there is time to think and daydream, and look ahead tothe next thing you will weave. Hence, I more oftenfind myself impatient to finish one tapestry so I canstart the next one.

Still, there are times when the loom is empty, andso is the brain, at least of a new plan. The first thing Ido is go to books and look through the images, armedwith a small packet of Post-It notes; I will mark twoor three in one book, then go on to others, until I have


sented in galleries. This piece is in the permanent col-lection of the Art Institute of Chicago.

What have often been sources of inspiration forme are travel, and looking at other textiles, or handmade objects. Travel can be one of the strongest gen-erators of new ideas. If we think of creativity as mak-ing something original, what better way to give your-self a nudge or shove in a new direction than toexpose yourself to something out of your own com-fort zone. This does not mean that you have to go halfway around the world, leave the country or even thestate. Anything to expose yourself to somethinguntried, even visiting a new store that is not yourusual one, or take an outing with a friend to even afamiliar place. Too often we become stuck becausewe see familiar things in the same way. However, atrip through a familiar place (store, museum orgallery, to name a few) with a second pair of eyes willgenerate comments about things we had walked byand never noticed. Some of the most wonderful worksof art are depictions of commonplace objects or activ-ities, but seen through new eyes.

no more than eight or ten candidates. If nothingstrikes me the first time thorough, I might turn an oldart school trick around and look through the bookwith the images upside down. This takes away someof the 'context' and fools the eye in your brain toconsider the image in a different manner. Then, Iwait a few days before winnowing down the field ofthe images that struck the first time.

When I return to the books, I see the eight or tenimages with a fresh eye and can usually narrow thechoices to one or two. Then, I begin the process ofmaking the cartoon. Often what happens is that thecolors of one image resonate with me, but the shapesof another image appeal to me, and the first sketch isa synthesis of two or more original ideas. The car-toon goes through several iterations (usually on acomputer screen), then is printed and perhaps modi-fied with colored pencils before becoming a finalplan for the next tapestry. An example of the out-come of this approach is "Winter/Lake Biwa." Itevolved from consideration of a catalogue of tradi-tional kimono, where I was drawn to the color choic-es, but also considered the role of indigo in manyJapanese textiles. The cartoon I developed was anabstraction of the way such garments are often pre-

Fruitful AmbiguityBy Barbara Heller

Ah, how to maintain that balance between theopen mind daydreaming of new possibilities and thefocused mind obsessing about an idea? How to ridourselves of the puritan work ethic and allow forserendipity in our lives? How to turn off the criticalparent and turn on the inner child? If I don't work onmy new project am I being lazy and exhibiting avoid-ance behavior or am I giving my mind time to workon the idea while I watch a movie or read a book ortalk to a friend?

For me, creativity seems to occur with slow accre-tions onto the nub of an idea. Something bothers me,something hits me over the head and demands to bewoven, something consistently nags me at oddmoments. An idea forms, and then everything I comeacross seems to relate to this idea. Then I begin toexplore, searching for images and ideas to enrich theoriginal nub. A problem arises, then a solution occurs.There may be minutes or days between problem andsolution or, for my tapestry about land mines,"Ozymandias", there may even be years between theoriginal idea and the perfect image that best embodiesthe emotion. I knew I did not want to show a dis-

Michael Rohde, WINTER/LAKE BIWA, 59" x 48" 2001.wool, dyes; tapestry. Collection of The Art Institute of

Chicago. Photo: Andrew Neuhart


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create reliquaries for the bones of the new religion,technology; the guts of the electronics as the bones ofthe computer? Wasn't the first computer a jacquardloom? And doesn't a computer encode stories in abinary code of on/off just as textiles encode stories ina binary code of up/down? Maybe I could morph oneinto the other, an ethnic textile into a circuit boardand joined by a golden hand as reliquary for both.Hmmm. So exciting.

The problem is not in sustaining creativity—theproblem comes when the constant inventiveness ofour minds is ignored. Who knows where inspirationcomes from? Perhaps the gods really do breathe itinto us, but we also have to inhale. Why not? It hap-pens in areas of the brain we seem to have no controlover. After weaving for several years, I finally got thecourage to visit my favorite teacher from art school toshow him my work and get his critique. I commentedon the time involved to weave a tapestry and how Ineeded big ideas to justify the project. Yes, he said,but you must weave every day, whether or not youare weaving a "major" work. It is in the daily weaving

membered human being in a tapestry but I did want tomake people realize the seriousness of the situation ofunexploded land mines maiming innocent victimslong after a war was over. On a trip to Mexico, goingto our rental car one morning, there, under the wheelof the car next to ours, was a broken rag doll. Outcame the camera and the last piece of the puzzle wasfound. But the problem had to be in my head, unre-solved; the idea had to still be active.

Two years ago I wove the last of the "Cover "series. What now? Would I ever have another goodidea? I had to weave and I had to find something Icould feel passionate about exploring.

Several different ideas, longtime concerns, startedto wind themselves together and demand attention.Many years ago I bought a new computer and wantedto recycle the old one, not throw it in the garbage.Recycling depots for e-waste were not yet in exis-tence, so I thought I could take the computer apartand, at least recycle the plastic shell. What treasureswere revealed within! I took apart a keyboard. I tookapart a radio, I took apart a mobile phone. I took apartother people's junk. I saved the innards. Why was oursociety becoming so dependent on computers? Whydid we worship technology? These thoughts inter-wove themselves with a long-time fascination withthe golden reliquaries that hold the bones of saintswhich I had seen in museums in Europe (some are onview at the Cluny Museum in Paris). Maybe I could

Barbara Heller, OZYMANDIAS, 62"" x 66" (158 x 168cm) 2004; linen warp, wool, cotton, rayon, silk, some hand-dyed and hand-spun;

photo: Ted Clark, Image This Photography Inc.

Barbara Heller, FUTURE RELIQUARY #1, 24" x 37" 2008; linen warp, wool, cotton, rayon, silk,

metallic threads, some hand-dyed


that we strengthen our techniques and it isin the doing that we find what we want tosay. Creativity does not exist in a vacuum.The mind must be active and so must thefingers. Then connections are made andnew ideas are formed.

So I really do try to weave every day.And I collect things that are beautiful to me- shells, bones, buttons, old paper. And Ikeep an idea book/sketch book/diary, and Ikeep an image bank of pictures from maga-zines and other places and a slide bank ofthings I would one day like to incorporateinto a tapestry. And if I am not weaving alarge tapestry I weave a small tapestry,translate a photo to improve technique,weave a small celebration for somethinggained or a memorial to someone lost.

This morning I was reading God Is NoLaughing Matter by Julia Cameron whoalso wrote The Artist's Way. But I have alsobeen thinking of this essay over the pastfew days, procrastinating, avoiding the actu-al writing, just as I have done since collegeand still do when designing a new tapestry.The ideas are so clear in my head. Puttingthem down on paper can seem like torture. Ihave to wait until the pressure builds insideme to the point where it is easier to do thetask I am avoiding so I can get on to thenext step, than it is to pretend to ignore theproblem. My need to weave overwhelmsmy reluctance to design.

Reading in bed, I came across these sen-tences: "There is a cyclicality to life, a rec-ognizable on-off pulse. When we go withthe current we experience a sense of right-ness. When we force action we experiencestrain. And yet forcing action can be morecomfortable and familiar than allowingfruitful ambiguity. Ambiguity breeds anxi-ety and this uncomfortable anxiety in turncatalyzes new directions." (Page 23)

It seems to me that, in the end, sustain-ing a fruitful ambiguity in life; an opennessto new ideas, a treasure trove of images,ideas, movies, book, lectures, and conversa-tions with friends all jumbled in our brains,is the way to sustain creativity.

"Connections: Small FormatInternational" Exhibitors' ListBy Kathy Spoering

Jane Sauer chose 49 pieces to be in the "Connections:Small Format International" exhibit from the pool of 184entries representing tapestries from 19 countries. Thank youto everyone who entered. Whether your piece was acceptedor not, you have played a part in the exhibit. Also, I was verypleased that all of the entries were readable, digitally, whichimpressed me very much for a first time effort in that arena.

Watch the website: www.americantapestryalliance.org fordetails.on when the catalogs will be available for purchase.

Janet Austin RI, USANicki Bair CA, USACecilia Blomberg WA, USABarbara Burns NY, USADon Burns DC, USALaura Center NM, USAClare Coyle ScotlandSharon M. Crary LA, USAKaty De Bock BelgiumElaine Duncan CanadaLany Eila NM, USAChristina Frey GermanyTricia Goldberg CA, USAMihaela Mirela Grigore RomaniaMarianne Haller CA, USALouise Halsey KY, USAJoyce Hayes WA, USABarbara Heller CanadaUrban R Jupena Mich, USAJean Pierre Larochette CA, USAAyelet Lindenstrauss Larsen IN, USAMaximo Laura PeruJ.Martins, L.Branquinho, C.Ceia, V.Fino PortugalLynn Mayne FL, USAJohn Nicholson FL, USAPam Patrie OR, USAChristine Rivers CanadaPete Rocci OR, USADeann Rubin MO, USATerri Stewart FL, USASarah Swett ID, USAKathe Todd-Hooker OR, USAPamela Topham NY, USALinda G Weghorst TN, USA


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Tapestry Weavers WestMembers' ShowcaseBy Tricia Goldberg

The Tapestry Weavers West Members' Showcasein July and August of 2008 was a curated exhibitionof TWW members' latest work, intended to show thevariety of style and achievement from old and newmembers who are either emerging or establishedartists.

The exhibition was held in the Craft and CulturalArts Gallery, in the atrium of the State of CaliforniaBuilding in downtown Oakland. Most visitors to thislovely, well-lit gallery work in the building or nearby,while many others are individuals who keep up withexhibitions in Oakland and elsewhere in the SanFrancisco Bay Area. With our publicity and invita-tions, we wanted our show to attract an audience par-ticularly excited about textiles. Even in the Bay Area,most people are not very familiar with contemporarytapestry. Because many of us live and work in theBay Area, we could invite friends, colleagues, andtextile and art enthusiasts and many exhibiting artistswere able to attend one or both receptions.

The receptions were planned to coincide withThird Thursdays Oakland Art Night, a monthly eventthat encourages art lovers to spend an evening"gallery hopping" among the city's exhibition spaces.We called on TWW members to contribute refresh-ments for the first reception; my daughter Renéecatered the second. Members were also asked togallery-sit as often as possible during the gallery'sopen hours. This proved to be an excellent way to

engage the public. The second reception includedmusical entertainment, as well as two invited speakersfrom within our group who both gave excellent pre-sentations. Alex Friedman spoke about the influenceof nontraditional weaving on her art, and MichaelRohde talked about his travels to Tibet and his exhibi-tion in Lithuania. It was exciting to see their tapes-tries in the gallery and hear their stories.

Deborah Corsini, a member for many years andrecent TWW president; Care Standley, a foundingmember and our slide librarian; and I curated theexhibition and were closely involved in all aspects ofplanning the show, including working with thegallery's director on the invitation postcard and tworeceptions.

We visited the gallery to estimate how manypieces, including large and small tapestries, would fitcomfortably in the space. In addition to the galleryitself, two long built-in glass display cases were avail-able for smaller tapestries and related materials. Inthese we placed a small loom, yarns, bobbins, and acartoon developed through several stages next to atapestry by Jan Langdon, who was exhibiting with usfor the first time and is our current president. Our tal-ented newsletter editor, Mimi Heft, a professionalgraphic designer who was also exhibiting her tapes-tries for the first time, designed the invitation post-card. We asked participating weavers to help withhanging and taking down the tapestries at the end ofthe show.

While group members are usually involved inmany aspects of an exhibition, the process of choos-ing who would exhibit, and which pieces would beshown, could have been awkward. Why did we nothave a guest curator or juror? For us, curating thisexhibition was an integral part of the members' show-case. In a sense, this show was only partially juried,since every interested member was included. Beyondthat, however, choosing the work and putting togethera cohesive show was important to us, and we workedcarefully and thoughtfully in our curatorial role.

Each TWW member could submit up to four tap-estries. We chose what we considered was the bestpiece by each artist first. Additional work was chosenbased on what would work best in the main galleryand in the display cases. This, of course, was a sub-jective matter, but in general we looked for the mostinteresting images or designs, along with outstandingcraftsmanship. To our surprise and relief, we had few

TWW Installation #1 far left: Marcia Ellis, VERTIGO; JanLangdon, ARTFUL/RED, ARTFUL/PASTEL; Tricia Goldberg,SUNFLOWERS; S. Henegar, WHERE CLOUD SHADOWS

WALK; J. Nisbett, NAVAJO CODE TALKER; Maj BrittMobrand, BOOGIE WOOGIE BLUES


Review: TWiNE on DisplayBy Micala Sidore

Many regional tapestry groups developed in thelate 1980's and early 1990's. TWiNE, TapestryWeavers in New England, held their first meeting inGuild, NH, in the fall of 1991. Susanne Pretty, LeslieVoiers and Patryc Wiggins had put the call out andabout 18 people came. I was among the chartermembers. Most, but not all, lived in New Englandstates so the group declared one of its first principles:that meetings would always take place somewhere inthe six state region, but members could come fromanywhere. Later on, the group established anotherinclusive policy: that the individual makers had theright to define tapestry for themselves. Anyone usingany technique (at one point, a felt maker became amember) could join.

From the outset the members have talked endless-ly with each other, at meetings and through email.

disagreements about the choices. We were happy withthe quality of the work and its presentation. Twenty-one members exhibited a total of 46 pieces.

Some members, both old and new, were exhibitingwith TWW for the first time including AlexFriedman, Katie Alcorn, Janette Gross, Kay Kent,Maj-Britt Mobrand, and Merna Strauch. Some wereexhibiting their tapestries for the very first time. Inaddition to Deborah Corsini, Care Standley, andmyself, long-time active members include BobbiChamberlain, Marcia Ellis, Marianne Haller, SusanHenegar, Nancy Jackson, Christine Laffer (likemyself, another founding member), Sonja Miramont,Jan Moore, and Jacquetta Nisbett.

Participants paid an entry fee and the expenseswere shared between TWW and the gallery.

We plan to celebrate TWW's 25th anniversary in2010 with another exhibition and additional events.Time and history are important in the world of tapes-try weaving, and keeping a volunteer organizationafloat for such a long time takes many dedicated tap-estry weavers. For 2010, we may have an outsidecurator/juror, but we will encourage all of our mem-bers to help with the planning and work involved, aswell as—most importantly—having new, interestingtapestries to exhibit.

They originally met on a quarterly basis; these days,it is usually three times a year. In the beginning aswell, a small sub-committee edited, wrote and sentthe newsletters; these have since evolved into newsyemails sent by one member to the others. Membershave visited museums, textile departments, restorationworkshops, exhibitions and some professional stu-dios. They have invited well-established tapestryweavers to lead retreats, and they organized onegroup challenge, based upon Donald Hall's poem"The Oxcart Man." In addition, TWiNE has had a fewsmall exhibitions.

This most recent, held in the fall of 2008 at theRiver Tree Center for the Arts in Kennebunk, ME,was possibly the most ambitious. Members JanAustin, Michelle Mancini and Susanne Pretty juriedsixty-seven entries, and selected forty-two that mettheir criteria. At least one piece by each member sub-mitting work made the cut. (Pretty and Austin alsoincluded their own work, making clear their role asjurors, though the gallery, unfortunately. did not addthat information to the labels.) Anne Homme helpedgallery director Kevin Townsend install everything inthe entry hall as well as in one large room of thegallery.

Installations, especially work by a variety of mak-ers, can act as an invisible force contributing to eachpiece and to the coherence of the show. Thoughtfulgrouping can bring out the connections between dis-similar pieces. Those principles operated well here.

One of the most satisfying qualities about thisexhibit for me was the degree to which so manyweavers had changed and developed their visions oftapestry. Good tapestries can tell good stories; in thiscollection, the utilization of a variety of tapestry tech-niques created some lovely narratives. When doneably and thoughtfully, these pieces drew attention tothe textile nature of the work. Here I will discuss alimited number of pieces; space limitations means Icannot discuss them all.

Elinor Steele has long used a computer as a designtool to make abstract work. I remember her earlierweavings as full of circles, squares and rectangles.In this TWiNE exhibit, by contrast, she has producedtwo pieces that are rich with color and jagged shapesthat cut across each other and create visual layers. Asyou study the details, you can almost discern humanfaces, landscapes, structures. Steele's work radiatesenergy and fun. She also included a surprising


continued...

"Autumn LeavesWinter," with abuilding and treesand two leaves andsnow. She used hernon-geometricshapes here as aframe—it made fora handsome result.

Alex Friedmanhas changed thelook of her workdramatically.Whereas earlier tap-estries showed thequintessential NewEngland summervacation, with cleanvertical and horizon-tal lines, towels andporches and win-dows, she nowfocuses on gracefulevocative curves. Inthe two pieces shesubmitted for theTWiNE exhibit, sheexploited the tech-nique of eccentricwefts. She has cre-ated rivers that runthrough plains ofdiamonds, three-dimensional narrowwaves on a flat sur-face. (See TT,Winter 2008 .21)

Three weaversmight be working

with objects for the floor, or are they? Elizabeth Trocki's"Wedding Blanket" and "Navajo Refraction" both do honorto their southwestern Native-American aesthetic. The sym-metries are elegant and raise welcomed questions aboutwhere they might settle in. Hung near by, imaginative andlarge, Sara Hotchkiss' work, constructed with rag wefts,represents the continuing commitment of the group to inclu-siveness. Whether her use of rags means that her piecesshould land on the floor is not self-evident. Like Trocki herhangings defy my pre-conceived notions of the materialsshe used.

Priscilla May Alden, whose early workcalled to mind her training in the southwest,used to compose carefully balanced arrange-ments of images. What she made alwaysseemed to me far more like rugs than wallpieces. Her two tapestries for this exhibitbreak that pattern. Especially satisfying to mewas "Meadow Cove," with wonderful, sillycolors (like pink!)-and wild irregularly shapedevergreen trees which evoke convincinglythose along the Maine coast, where Aldenlives. Hers other submission, "Sunset atOcean Point," has a grand giddy quality. Thesilk thread shimmers. Zigzags in reds, pinksand oranges fill the center in a field of pick onpick. Alden has framed these at the bottom andthe top of the piece with impressionisticreflections in blues. It feels like the churningwater of ocean at the end of the day.

Each wall of the installation created thepossibility for dialog. "Chaos" by Jan Austin,interacts well, for instance, with "Shelter" byCheryl Holbert and "Homage to Anne Frank"by Barbara Burns. Each has a limited colourrange and each carries a message. Austin'swork has grown, literally, from her usual smallpieces: "Chaos" measures 18" x 24". She hasalso limited her palette to black, gray andwhite. What she has done becomes clearer asyou look at it: cones of yarn near a weaver'stools, suggesting a tapestry as yet unwoven.Austin has chosen with assiduous care the wayshe marks dark and light, adding to the pleas-ure of the result.

In another unexpected twist of my expecta-tions, Mary Adebonojo turns the miniature onits head. Usually, small pieces pull us in clos-er, so that we can study each seed of color andanalyze each decision. Adebonojo's "TheHeavens Declare Their Glory" (12" x 15"),however, works best from a distance. Thesmall section of soumack makes her cloudspuffy; with the insertion of a few strands ofpile, she produces satisfying texture to herground. In contrast, Estela Serafini's"Knowledge Tearing the Ignorance" rewardsclose scrutiny. She has also mounted her 7" x7" tapestry on aluminum and zebra wood,materials which echo the images of lightningand the ground it strikes.

Elizabeth Trocki, NAVAJO REFRACTION,

Elinor Steele, AUTUMN LEAVES WINTER,30" x 24"


Sarah Warren's "Mountain Waves V" and "TheCove" as well as Betsy Wing's "Untitled" producesubtle and effective results with restricted palettesand limited shapes. Warren made landscapes forthe show: the sun going down behind mountains, abody of water surrounded by trees. She has com-posed the first with horizontal lines and triangles.Early attempts to weave tapestries often look likethis—the horizon divides two elements of sky andground. But here Warren inserts a terrific collec-tion of stuttering lines which act as counterpoint tothe more common landscape, defining the edgebetween the sky and the brilliant colors of sunset.In her other, "The Cove," Warren does a fine jobrendering water, with repetitions of short wovendashes in light, medium and dark. Her choicesreminded me of Susan Martin Maffei's work,which achieves the illusion of crowds of people ininfinite variations as she shifts small details frombasic elements.

Betsy Wing, who has studied for years withJames Koehler, manages to make the work ofUntitled seem effortless. She has combined sever-al blues and a peach in a combination of lines, sim-ple shapes and low rising curves in a piece thatreads in the order in which it was likely woven,from bottom to top. The tapestry leaves the strongimpression that Wing simply wove it as she felt it,without a cartoon, in a serene state of mind.

All in all, the TWiNE exhibit showed a highlevel, not just of technical competence, but also ofcare in imaginative design. I look forward to thepossibilities of the next 18 years.

Review: Different PerspectivesBy Anne Jackson

Four leading British tapestry artists recently exhibit-ed at the BSW Gallery, Exeter, Devon, U.K.. They rep-resented a cross-section of professional practice in theUK. All four are experienced international exhibitors,executing major commissions and installations as faraway as Japan. The "Different Perspectives" of theexhibition title concerned the interpretations they bringto bear on their experiences of the human-made worldand the natural environment.

Fiona Rutherford's tapes-tries, influenced by Japanesetextiles, displayed a masteryof colour and design thatmade them almost dance offthe walls. For example, in'Present Past', a fine mauvestripe moved across a field ofbright aqua, and another ofalmost industrial sea-green,with optical effect akin to aBridget Riley painting.

Due to its historical evolu-tion as a pictorial art form,there is often an assumptionthat a tapestry has a 'right wayup', and is to be hung like apicture. Many of FionaRutherford's pieces could behung vertically or horizontallyaccording to taste, as the com-position was not intended tobe read pictorially. On somelevel, this conveyed a light-heartedness and ease that werepart of the works' appeal.

Jilly Edwards' mixed-media series consisted ofrolled tapestry fragments insmall perspex display units,along with ephemera such asembroidered train tickets.Each piece could have its ele-ments rearranged, capturing asense of the non-linearity ofremembered experience. Shealso exhibited a series of tiny,

Mary Adebonojo, THE HEAVENS DECLARE THEIR GLORY, 12" x 15

Fiona Rutherford, IN CONVERSATION, 64" x5" and 60" x 4(163cm x

13cm and 153cm x 10cm)2007; cotton warp, linen,

cotton weft. Photo byKeith Pattison


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intensely-coloured abstract tapestries, each in a spa-cious frame, like a precious fragment of memoryfrom a visual diary.

In Fiona Hutchison's two large-scale works, shedematerialised the conventional rectangular plane oftapestry into airy vertical strips. Clouds of pale,added filaments floated before them, appearing to beuncontrolled, but individually painted, treated andplaced with painstaking care, giving an effect of fly-ing sea-foam.

All her works expressed her love of the sea andsailing, including several small framed pieces wherethe quiet fineness of the weaving suggested calmwater, reflections, or harbour elements. The scaleand delicacy of these works invited close looking,while paradoxically evoking the vastness of theuncontrollable sea.

Fiona Mathison's work subverted the traditionalstructures and materials used to construct woven tap-estry. She showed a pair of slender, cylindricalforms, curving from floor to ceiling, evocative ofbirch trunks in a wood, whose construction includedfurnishing fabric and monofilament wrapping. Smallfreestanding shadow boxes were related to her site-specific work in the gallery courtyard, a tall, bright,tree trunk-like form, reminiscent of the work ofNikki de St Phalle in its colour and humour. Entitled'Mixed Fruits', it was woven of monofilament andlong strips cut from fruit juice cartons. The effect

was of flowing patterns, bark and cellular structures, asthe freestanding tapestry form moved gently in thewind, changing with time and weather.

This show represented a synthesis of four very dif-ferent approaches to tapestry weaving. It was carefullyhung in the semi-domestic scale of the gallery space, sothat each artist's work could speak clearly and be heard.The four perspectives on the world and weaving wereunited as a harmonious whole, a fitting achievement fora contemporary tapestry gallery; as creating coherencefrom diverse strands and materials is the technical heartof the weaver's art.

Tapestry is often unrecognised in contemporary cul-ture. Judging by recent national press coverage, severalprofessional arts journalists clearly have no idea thattapestry lives and thrives as a contemporary art form inthe UK. Exhibitions like this one make an importantcontribution to the rectification of this situation.

Fiona Hutchison, WHERE TWO TIDES MEET, 120cm x113cm 2006; Woven on cotton warp at 8 epi with a

cotton, linen, monofilament and paper yarns.

Review: Putting Content toColorBy Kathe Todd-Hooker

ed. note: The following review was arranged by PamStout with instructions for Kathe Todd-Hooker to sub-mit the article directly to proof reader, Mary Colton,who in turn sent it on to Elinor Steele for layout.

Visiting Diva Gallery to see the exhibit of LindaRees was an enjoyable experience. I had never been tothe gallery in Eugene, Oregon. DIVA is a great namefor a great gallery! The name stands for DowntownInitiative for the Visual Arts. It's actually a series ofgalleries in the same building that showcases Oregonartists. The gallery in which the Linda Rees exhibitwas hung was large enough that there was plenty ofspacing around the tapestries. This made the groupingsshow to advantage without making them feel cramped.In addition, the lighting was great. Also intriguing wasthe fact that two of the larger geometric pieces weremounted on a black wall, setting the two tapestries offspectacularly. As luck would have it, I was able toattend a very interesting question and answer gallerytalk by the artist on the day I visited the gallery.

I was first intrigued and then made curious by Rees'artist's statement that the design and subject matter wasdictated or evolved directly from the yarn selections


and/or yarn wrappings. I read the statement and wasable to think about it for several days in advance ofseeing the exhibit. Rees stated "The colour interac-tion defines the imagery." This is an unusualapproach to designing tapestry. Usually the artistthinks of the design first and materials second.Those materials conform to the design, not the otherway around.

After hearing Rees speak about her work, I had abetter understanding of her approach. She tries tolimit her designs to 6 colours, and in her statementshe says that she has been using these self imposedlimitations for 40 years. She begins with wrappingsand winds stripes of yarn until she defines the ratio ofcolour to colour appropriate for her future tapestry.Then after viewing the wrappings, she decides on thedesign and/or subject matter.

Rees' approach to designing is the direct oppositeof the way many other tapestry artists think anddesign. For instance, Lurçat indicated that there beno more than 12 colours and perhaps a light, dark andmedium of these colours. The image was to bedefined and the colours and materials chosen after.The tapestry image itself would dictate colour andmaterial usage. Rees' approach to designing may beopposite that of other tapestry artists, but it workswell for her. The chosen colours were nicely harmo-nized, and because they didn't have to follow theusual colours of the subject matter, they added inter-est to the tapestries.

Once I got past my fascination with the artiststatement, I found that the show actually had threedistinct divisions of the 24 tapestries on exhibit.There were the whimsical smaller pieces; the elegant,large format, geometric designs, and a series of smallformat tapestries mounted on Plexiglas with writingsthat flowed from the tapestry onto the Plexiglas.

The first grouping was quite whimsical. It's notoften that one finds whimsy in tapestry done excellent-ly, but when one does it's both surprising and fascinat-ing. Whimsy always adds interest. I have twofavourites in this grouping—one ("Possession #956")is a very mundane, comfortable-looking, perhaps well-used sofa, a tapestry sofa or divan on an elegant indi-go and green background. Just the idea of weaving awell-used, cosy-looking sofa makes me want to forgetabout questions and statements, settle back, be com-fortable and relax. Well, it feels comforting and com-fortable, so not pretentious in the least. The second is

a woman escaping, leaving, or exiting (any of theabove the viewer wishes it to be, which might changeaccording to mood) an opening onto a bright pink land-scape. There is a third that I also really like—the pinkclouds of "The Mirth Makers" make me want to giggleand put on a happy face.

The next tapestries were geometrically designed.They all had an elegant sparseness, a severe quality orsimplicity of design that worked well. The restrictedmellow palette and the large geometric elements of thedesigns created a contemplative mood that was neitherSouthwestern nor Scandinavian in its final inspirationand derivations, creating a peaceful uniqueness. Thetapestries were technically simple but well done, witha relatively large scale and large format and with anextremely limited range of colour selections.

The third group—six small pieces called "The DoorOpens on Aging"—probably had the most to say aboutthe artist as a person. I found the relationship betweenRees, her mother, and aging bodies to be interestingand riveting. At some point in our lives we all find itnecessary to think about aging and the changes in our

Linda Rees, POSSESSION #956, 47" x 31" 2002;weft faced weaving with soumak and underside

couching Photo by Jack Liu


continued...

ATA Award of Excellence:Tommye ScanlinBy Merna Strauch

Tommye McClure Scanlin's "...to the essence ofevery nature..." won the ATA Award at Western NCHandweaver's Guild's "Blue Ridge HandweavingShow" in Asheville, NC in October, 2008.

Tommye is Professor Emerita at North GeorgiaCollege & State University, Dahlonega, Georgia,maintains her private studio in Dahlonega, and is nostranger to ATA or to these pages. She was profiled inthe Fall 2008 issue of Tapestry Topics, where a pictureof her award winning piece can be found. Using a cot-ton warp, "...to the essence of every nature..." iswoven with wool weft yarns, measures 34" x 54", andlike most of her work is inspired by the natural world.

In Tommye's words: I use the slow medium of tap-estry weaving because I love the surface of flat woventapestry, the intensity of color as interpreted in yarn,and the significance of each movement of the weaver's

bodies. We seem to come to it with slightly differentperspectives, but it is inevitable. I think this series oftapestries really does a good job portraying that retro-spection we come to as we age. The six pieces weremounted on Plexiglas with letters and words spillingover onto the Plexiglas edge. The clear Plexiglaswith the words created a shadow on the wall behindthe pieces that enhanced the meaning of the wordsand the tapestries. They worked well as a row ofthree tapestries hung above another row of three, butwould have been just as interesting as single pieceson a solitary wall.

One of the things that is most interesting to me asa tapestry artist is being able to see the growth orevolvement of another tapestry weaver from one pointto another in both technical and aesthetic matters, anddesign concepts. In this exhibit, I was able to seemany tapestries by the same artist that came intobeing over many years of work. We very seldom getto see this in one place, but with this exhibit, we wereallowed to see the growth and musings of a long timefiber artist. According to her artist statement, Reesbegan weaving in 1965. She was part of an influentialNW textile art scene from the early 1970's to the mid-

dle 1980's that produced many well known fiberartists such as Joanna Stanizski, Barbara Heller, PattyRobeson, Pat Spark, Lynn Biasel, Charlotte Van Zant,to name a few. This is the "vibrant art scene" thatRees mentions in her artistic statement. Many ofthese artists were heavily influenced by a Polish tap-estry show that took place in Vancouver, BC, in1974.* We don't often think about this period of tap-estry weaving because it was overshadowed by theinfluence that Jean Pierre Larochette and ArchieBrenner had on the tapestry scene in the NW in thelate 70's, 80s and 90's.

In the 26 year period of time that Rees wasinvolved in the NW textile scene, she helped to pro-duce 10 major textile exhibitions. In this time periodshe also volunteered at the Whatcom Art Museum andwas involved in their various textile and art programs.She was also extremely influential or at least persist-ently on the scene in the Bellingham HandweaversGuild. It would be interesting to know how much ofthis scene has influenced her later work.

*The Polish show that was so influential in theNW was written about in The National Gallery ofCanada Journal No.7, October 1975.

Linda Rees, THE MIRTH MAKERS Indigo Series # 3, 32" x 29" 2005


ATA Volunteers as of January 2009

It takes a village to run ATA! Everything we do isaccomplished by very dedicated volunteers.Volunteering is a great way to network with otherATA members. We have small and not so small jobsthat could use your expertise. Contact Joan Griffin ifyou can help. [email protected]

Member Services Group: Co-Director BeckyStevensTreasury: Rosalee Skrenes

Treasurer's assistant: Marcia Ellis Membership: Ellen RamseyEducation and Special Events: Mary Lane andMarcy Fraker Distance Learning: Tommye Scanlin

Recent or Current Mentors: In the last 5 yearsthere have been over 20 mentor/student combinations.Some recent ones: Tricia Goldberg,Terri Stewart,Barbara Heller, Michael Rohde, Christine Laffer, PatWilliams, Mary Lane, Sarah Swett, Kathy Spoering,Alex Friedman, Joan Griffin, Sharon Marcus.Helping Hands: Joyce Hayes and Jeanne BatesExhibits Chair: Alex Friedman

ATB 8 chairs: Michael Rohde and Susan IversonCommittee: Tricia Goldberg, Jennifer SargentATB catalog chair: Regina Vorgang Proof Reader: Open ATB catalog pre sales: OpenConnections: Small Tapestry InternationalChair: Kathy SpoeringCommittee: Sarah Swett, Susan Edmunds, Ruth

Manning, Nancy Taylor

2010 Small Format exhibit: Letitia RollerWeb Exhibits: David Johnson

Online Exhibits Coordinator: Sarah Swett Current or future curators for online exhibits: DavidJohnson, Mary Lane, Barbara Burns,Susan MartinMaffei. Newsletter Editor: Linda Rees

Committee: Mary Colton, Elinor Steele, MernaStrauch, Lyn Hart, Kathy Marcel, Ellen Ramsey

Newsletter column writers: over 40 various volunteers write articles during a year

Guest Editors or Theme Facilitators: LanyEila, Michael Rohde, Mary Lane, Lyn Hart, EllenRamsey ATA eNews: Christine LafferATA Study Forums: Dorothy Clewes

Recent or current leaders: Dorothy Clewes, Mary Lane, Sharon Marcus

Library: Joyce Hayes, chair Achives: Fran Williamson Catalog Sales: Joyce Hayes and Ellen Ramsey

Resources Group: Co-Director: Linda WallacePromotion: Open

SOFA : Mary Zicafoose ATA Award for Excellence: Elisabeth Quick ATA Student Award: Open

Web site Development and Maintenance:Christine Laffer

ATA Artists Pages: Sarah Warren Web Resources: Christine Laffer and Kathy

Marcel Web Mistress: Jeanne Bates Graphics Standards: Elinor Steele, Mimi Heft

Public Relations: Elaine Duncan and Linda WallacePostcard Manager: Lynn Mayne Fundraising: Open

Grants Research and Preparation: Susan SkalakSpecial Event Fundraising: Open

Ad Hoc CommittteesVolunteer Coordinator: Joan GriffinNominations Committee Chair: Jan AustinCommittee: Karen Crislip, Pat Williams Red Book Revision: Joan Griffin

* during Convergence last year we had about 15 othervolunteers working on specific Convergence eventsfor ATA.

hands to the finished work. My tapestries are basedupon ideas and images that are meaningful to me; theglorious natural world of north Georgia and westernNorth Carolina provide many of those images.

Many of us take our inspiration from Tommye.Her work is widely shown and published. One of hercurrent projects is weaving a daily tapestry Diary for2009. Check out the details and her progress at herblog http://tapestry13.blogspot.com and visit her web-site http://web.me.com/tmscanlin for a wealth of othertapestry information.

Congratulations and thank you, Tommye!

21

Volunteers Make it Happen:Joan GriffinBy Linda Rees

I chose to write this volunteer column about JoanGriffin because the newsletter has benefited immense-ly from her efforts as volunteer coordinator. Actually,Joan has possibly been the key person in shaping thecurrent direction of ATA because she was one of theinitial members who worked on its reorganization in2002. Essentially the new mission was to have a rela-tively small board but use many volunteers to distrib-ute the task of running the alliance. Then it becameobvious that finding volunteers would need to be afull time commitment and her understanding of whatwas needed made her the likely candidate. Ask themany members she has recruited and they will saythat she actively searches to find the right person foreach job, clearly defines what they are to do and givesfollow up support when needed. I have roomed withJoan for two conferences and have witnessed her pas-sion for and skill at this particular aspect of personnelmanagement.

Joan began weaving in the 1970s and becameactive by mid decade as a founding member of the"Torpedo Factory", a craft center in Alexandria,Virginia. She was the first director of its Potomac

Craftsmen Gallery and actively involved at thecenter for 18 years.

She started doing tapestries early in the 1980sand joined ATA after the organization moved fromthe west coast to Virginia. In the late 1990s shebecame treasurer. When nobody could be found toassume the leadership role, she started wonderinghow to sustain ATA, hence getting involved in itsrevitalization.

Joan is a productive artist currently living inCharlottesville Virginia, and active in the TapestryWeavers South regional group. She has sold manyof her tapestries, exhibits regularly and has work inembassies. The land is the primary influence onJoan's design concepts:

"I am intrigued by taking a detail element of anatural landscape and translating it into myown imagery. The relationship between colorand form is the most important considerationfor me and I like to combine fine wool, silk andmetallic yarns because of the different waysthat they react to light. There are patterns, thereis a progression of time. As the tapestry devel-ops I have a dialogue with the landscape andfind it a never-ending source of inspiration."

Joan Griffin, BEND IN THE WIND, 36" x 36" 2008

STUDENT AWARD SUBMISSIONS DUE APRIL 15

Lyn Hart, CEREUS EXPECTATIONS, 17.5" x 16.5"2007; natural & synthetic dyed wool. See page 1.


Members NewsBy now you should have received your lime green

2009 Membership Directory.

Bulk mail, however, is never 100% so if you haveNOT received yours please contact us at [email protected]

Be an ATA Promoter: It's regional conferencetime again and workshops are springing up all over!If you are teaching or attending a spring workshopplease contact us for an envelope of promotionalmaterials you can share freely with other conferenceattendees. Help spread the word about ATA and allthat we have to offer to tapestry weavers at everylevel of experience.

KudosSend items to: [email protected]

Nicki Bair's URANUS AND ITS 23 MOONS andMichael Rohde's NOTERRA INCOGNITA will be on dis-play at the Riverside Art Museum www.riversideart-museum.org, Riverside, California until April 4th, aspart of a show of 25 weavings from DesigningWeavers, a juried fiber guild.

"Progress and Ideals, 21st Century Arts & Crafts",an invitational group exhibition of glass, textile,metal, wood, and ceramic, includes Michael Rohde'sPARTITA, BOTANICAL MAZE, and PASTORALE. Exhibitdates are Jan 11 - Mar 29, 2009 at the MuckenthalerCenter in Fullerton, California www.themuck.org.

In addition to the above two exhibits, Michael'sknotted vessels are included in national juried exhibitsin New York City and Minneapolis. RUSTS VESSEL

and VESSEL 65 were on display in "Economies ofScale", an exhibit of miniature works at the PhoenixGallery in NYC in January. FUNKY FESTIVE HOUSE ispart of "Web and Flow", at the Textile Center inMinneapolis www.textilecentermn.org March 6 -April 18.

The Los Angeles County Arboretumhttp://www.arboretum.org/ is celebrating weavingwith a small exhibit in their library through the end ofMarch, 2009 . Included are tapestries by the Seaside

Weavers tapestry group and individual work by NickiBair and Merna Strauch.

Shelley Socolofsky has some exciting news! Hernew work just received a 2008 Fellowship Grant fromthe Ruth & Harold Chenven Foundation www.chen-venfoundation.org. Only 7 artists nationwide receivedthis 2008 award. Shelley's work can be seen atwww.shelleysocolofsky.com.

ARTIFACTS: BRYN MAWR STORM DRAIN by DavidJohnson won the award for "Most Creative Use ofthe Medium" at the Dairy Barn Art Center's BeadInternational 2008 in Athens, Ohio.

Terry Olson and Marielle Snyder had two tapes-tries each in "Dancing Threads" fiber arts exhibit atthe Springfield Museum in Springfield, Oregon dur-ing the month of December.

The tapestry TRY TO SEE IT MY WAY by BeckyStevens was selected for the Center for ModernPsychoanalytic Studies (CMPS) 2008 Fall Art Show"Woman!" in New York City, November 1 -December 20.

Beverly Walker of Little Hocking, Ohio, won aregional award for her tapestry EL NINO in July (see"Kudos" TT Winter 2008), and that tapestry also wona regional purchase award in the Marietta, Ohio,Peoples Bank "5 Senses" exhibit in November.

A major review of the Española Arts Center fiberexhibition at the Ghost Ranch Museums in Albiquiúappeared in the Rio Grand Sun, Española, NewMexico October 30, 2008 issue. Featured was thework of Letitia Roller. The exhibit included severaltapestries by her and by Pat Dozier.

The Blue Ridge Handweaving Show in Asheville,NC last October was richly rewarding for a number ofATA members. Not only did Tommye Scanlin (seeaccompanying article) win the ATA Award ofExcellence, she also won an award for SPRING

PROFUSION. Kathe Todd-Hooker won Best of Showfor SO SAUGHT AFTER. Awards were also won byJoan Griffin for ROAD TO THE INTERIOR, BarbaraBurns for WOMAN IN A RED TURBAN, and SherriCoffey for FLOATING IN A DEEP BLUE SEA.

Contact ATAPO Box 28600 San Jose, CA 95159www.americantapestryalliance.org

Director of Member ServicesBecky Stevens [email protected]

Director of ResourcesLinda Wallace [email protected]

TreasurerRosalee Skrenes [email protected]

Member ChairEllen Ramsey [email protected]

Education Committee: Distance LearningTommye Scanlin [email protected]

Ed. Com. Coordinator, Events & Online study groupsMary Lane [email protected]

Library Chair, Archives & Slide RegistryJoyce Hayes [email protected]

ConnectionsKathy Spoering [email protected]

ATB8Michael Rohde [email protected]

Small Format ExhibitionLetitia Roller [email protected]

ATA AwardsElisabeth Quick [email protected]

PR ChairElaine Duncan [email protected]

Volunteer CoordinatorJoan Griffin [email protected]

Web EditorChristine Laffer [email protected]

Webmistress Jeanne Bates [email protected]

Web ExhibitsDavid Johnson [email protected]

Artist PagesSarah Warren [email protected]


ATA MEMBERSHIP FORM

1 year 2 years Name__________________________________________Individual $35 $65 Address________________________________________Studio Circle $60 $110 ______________________________________________Curator's Circle $125 $225 City________________________________State_______Collector's Circle $250 $450 Postal Code_________________Country______________Student* $25 $45 Phone_________________________________________*enclose copy of current student identification card with payment Fax/Alternate phone_________________________________Please contact me about volunteer opportunities Email__________________________________________

_______________________________________________Send payment to: ATA Membership Visa/Mastercard number Exp. Date c/o Ellen Ramsey4911 NE 178th StreetLake Forest Park, WA 98155 _______________________________________________(206) 440-8903 card holder’s signature

David Johnson, SPIRITS: CIRCUS MASK, 4.5" x 6" x 1"2003. Digitally altered photo on inkjet canvas, beadembroidery, painted industrial felt, painted stretched

canvas. See article on page 5.

American Tapestry AlliancePO Box 28600San Jose, CA 95159-8600

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Tapestry Topics

Guidelines for submitting articles to Tapestry Topics:Next Deadline: April 1: The Materiality of Surface. Commentary that highlights work that

has distinctive surfaces qualities. July 15: Exhibits - Our Public Voice. October 15: Tipsand Tactics. January 15, 2010: Proportion.

Send all items to: Linda Rees: [email protected] --Or--

1507 Elkay DriveEugene, OR 97404 Phone: 541-338-8284

All photographs and electronic images should be accompanied by the following information:size, date completed, and photo credits.

Articles should be under 2000 words. Submissions will be edited for clarity and spacerequirements.

Exhibition reviews: We seek articles that describe the show with insight and critical observa-tions. Describe the overall sense of the exhibit and explain the parts that contribute to this sense.

Newsletter committee: Newsletter committee: Proofreader: Mary Colton, Layout: Elinor Steele,Kudos: Merna Strauch, Distribution: Ellen Ramsey, Online excerpts: Lyn Hart, Web Posting: Kathy Marcel

visit our website: www.americantapestryalliance.orgFiona Rutherford,

PAST PRESENT detail.Photo by Keith Pattison

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