Last 2 tapestries.

Well, the exhibition which I had before Christmas is over as is Christmas, the New Year and the cricket so I had better put up photos of my last 2 tapestries.

When I had to come up with designs for the Yr.6 part of my course I spent hours thinking about what to weave and one morning woke up with this design in my head, which is how  a lot of my designs happen.  So I went with it.  It represents the 3rd Sunday of Advent with the Angel's candle.  The next design was a lot more difficult to come by.  I was not happy with any of the designs  was playing with so I went back to the cloth and played with it in photoshop and this happened which is what I wove.

It represents post Christmas and the strange shapes are like the ghosts of Christmas. Both of these tapestries are app. 40 cm X 40 cm and took about 140 hours each to weave.  These are the only 2 tapestries I have left as I gave the other sets to the people who inspired them which pleased me.

So, after 9 years I finally get to graduate sometime this year.  Hooray.

Tapestry Exhibition

After nine years, I have finally finished studying!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and I am having an exhibition in the crypt of the Good Shepherd Chapel at the Convent Complex at Abbotsford.  This is an amazing place and an amazing space and if you are not familiar with it, do what is standard procedure these days - Google it.   I started this journey in 2006 at RMIT and did a few subjects per semester then in 2011, I transferred to  Warnambool which specialises in tapestry weaving.   I started this blog to use as a visual diary in Yr. 3 at Warnambool and the first tapestry I put up was one for my son who built me a loom.  People keep asking me what I am gong to do with myself now that this is finished; I am sure I will find something.
Here is the invitation.

Quite a few of the tapestries in the exhibition,  are posted about in the blog earlier this year.

It would be nice to see any blog lookers there.

Cloth

Last year I did the workshop at the ATW associated with the Kate Derum exhibition. The workshop was run by Kay Lawrence.  For the workshop we had to bring a piece of cloth which had some meaning and I brought our Christmas table cloth.  Many  years ago I made the cloth and when the plum pudding had been consumed, I gave everyone a fabric pen or glitter pen and told them to write or draw something on the fabric.  You should have seen their faces!  The cloth is about 17 years old now and although it is not used every year, it has a wealth of memories.

A section of the cloth

At the workshop we had to use the piece of cloth to design a small tapestry and much of the time was spent in sampling and producing a small tapestry.

This is my first attempt featuring part of an angel and some lettering.  From there I scanned this image and distorted it to get this.

Then finally this.

The colour is not right here because that's how it came off the printer.

So after many months of sloth and disinterest, I have decided to weave this for an online exhibition later this year.  I have a colour pallette and have wound bobbins and started -  full of high hopes.

Hope it doesn't get too hot again.

Studio

I have finally put some furniture in the studio and some tapestries on one wall and I have tried to buy nothing new to fit in there, so far.

 

The desk was free  except that we had to get it which was fun and the dresser came from the local Op shop.  Lenny kindly painted it the same colour as the wall. The set of drawers was free as was the  model.

This is the wall adjacent to the desk with the tapestries that I did for my Major at RMIT.  The idea came from a drawing I had done (the one on the right which also became a tapestry) and the other one was an ink blot that I was playing with. When I put the small image of the digitized flower petal on it, my teacher at the time suggested I weave  it.  I laughed at her as I didn't think I could do it; I still don't know how I did.  However they look nice on the wall. Maybe I should put the drawing there too. I have something special for the red wall but it needs a little attention.

More square

It is difficult to get a perfectly square photo with a loom that is slanted so I had Lenny hold it up straight.  The result is better but not perfect. However it is a better picture.

Finished

Finished - minus the hem.  Alleluia.

Although it doesn't look it, it is square.  I have measured it.  The loom is on  an angle; sounds like a good story.

Getting There

Today I spent 4 hours weaving, just for a change, and one hour blending colours for the red escarpment shape.   My plan is to  try to weave 1/2 of this shape and across the tapestry tomorrow.  I have decided to set a deadline of Friday 18th to finish.  I am looking forward to exploring around Kyneton and give the dining room, which is my studio at the moment, a break.  The pictures below represent the progress of 42 1/2 hours.  Amazingly, I still like the design.  I haven't worked out if my sticking to the task is dedication, stupidity, bloody-mindedness or not wanting to be beaten.

I wish I knew how to put pictures side by side.  The bottom of the 2nd picture is a bit dark and I am glad I wove one of Albert Namajira's ghost gums given what has happened to them.

Faces

The  latest assignment to keep me from weaving the large tapestry due in 6 or 7 weeks is called Interaction between people.  We had to do 4 drawings and select one to do small tapestry  sample.  The drawing I chose to do a tapestry of is one of my beautiful cousin Marj who died last year after a long battle with breast cancer.  When I was doing photography at RMIT we had to do portraits and I took  a lot of photos of her.  She had just found out she had to have a course of chemo tablets and the photos reflected her concern.  The drawing I did reflects my reaction to this news. We had been best friends since we were  8/9 and were constant companions and playmates for 60 years.

The cartoon

      

The tapestry

Changing My Mind

I know I said that I had decided not to pull out my weaving any more but I have changed my mind; a lady's prerogative. My mentor had a look at my work and thought my Darwin piece was a bit flat due to not varying the colours I used.  I took her advice and pulled it out , most of it and redid it.  As you can see in the photos, the 2nd version looks a lot better. My big tapestry is taking ages because I am taking my time. By the end of this week, I would like to be 1/3 of the way through. I have not done any weaving for 10 days due to upheavals in my life, but I should have a relatively clear run for the next little while. Despite the time I am taking, I am enjoying it.  Next time I have to design a tapestry I will employ the KISS strategy.

Petites: Some of the Pieces

As I said in my last post, there were 12 or so pieces from ex RMIT tutors and students.

I am posting work from some of those I was able to photograph. The  photograph of one of my friend's pieces was terrible, both of them, but you can see her tapestry at her blog  marymac. in June, under the heading Recording my progress - to music.

Cresside

Esmae

Julie, sorry about the flash; her weaving including seaweed.

Marina

Mine has been  shown.  I have a few more but as I haven't asked permisssion, I had better not show them.

Enjoy

Petites 2012

Last weekend it was the opening of the Petites Exhibition in Wangaratta which they hold on the alternate year to the Wangaratta Contemporary  Textile Award. There were about 120 pieces exhibited  and RMIT ex students were well represented with about 12 of them in the exhibition - including me. The standard of the work was very high and I was chuffed to be in such good company. The tapestry was one I did last year for one of my assignments.  The design for the tapestry came from a photograph I took at the Australian Garden at Cranbourne that I played with in Photoshop and Illustrator; it was called "Water From the Desert". But the best thing was that someone bought my piece of tapestry.  I did a workshop over the weekend about making miniature books and on the Sunday when it was quiet we went into the gallery where I saw the red spot under my  tapestry.  I couldn't believe my eyes; whoever bought my work made me very happy.

The workshop was really  interesting and practical and I made 2 miniatures and started a third which isn't finished; maybe one day when I don't have any homework.

I got into an awful mess making the second one; luckily all the media were water soluable.
I had fun.

Tim's Tapestry

 I have been doing Tim's tapestry at odd times and am up to here.

Getting there.  I have taken photos at various stages and put them into a slide show  for Tim and I tried to ulpoad them on here; however to no avail.  They uploaded but it looked like a puzzle to solve as they were not in order. So far I have spent nearly 70 hours on this tapestry which will measure 37 cm by 27 cm.

Tim's Tapestry

This is my first post!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the loom  Tim made.
This is the loom warped up.
This is the design I intend to weave on the loom that Tim made.

These are the flowers that Tim grows that I used in the design for the tapestry to say thank you for my loom.