Tuesday, November 19, 2013

The final Emergence

Well, the latest tapestry was finished a few weeks ago. It always takes awhile for me to like a new tapestry, no matter what anyone else says or how stunning it is in actuality. The finished work never quite matches what I saw in my head when I started weaving. But once I accept that what emerges is something new that came through me, I can appreciate the new piece.

In the spirit of video blogging, I made this little video. It might give you too much of an idea how much of a geek I am, but there you have it. The wool-fuzzy piece coming off the loom.


My three-year-olds at the hospital would shriek at the sound of that worm gear. I just forgot that you could lift it up and the beam would roll. I guess it has been too long since I took a tapestry off this loom.

This may well be the last tapestry from the Emergence series. I'm not sure I'll do any more of them. The winds of change are blowing and new things are afoot.

Here are photos from the whole series which you can also see on my website HERE.

Emergence I, 48 x 48 inches
Emergence II, 44 x 44 inches
Emergence III, 9 x 44 inches
Emergence IV, 15 x 46 inches
Emergence V: The Center Place, 44 x 44 inches
Emergence VI, 16 x 49 inches
Emergence VII, 44 x 44 inches
These spirals have been fun. I started these pieces when I lived in Velarde, NM on a petroglyph preserve. There were spirals on the mesa all around my house. There were other artifacts scattered about and a lot of evidence of many centuries of human visitation and perhaps occupation. The mesa overlooks the Rio Grande and the beautiful sunny winters when the dark rocks heated in the sun must have been pleasant. At least they were for me!

The spiral form left by Puebloan peoples from centuries ago is thought to be a symbol of emergence from another world. For me it meant change and growth and movement forward. I have done a lot of that in the last 4 years. Perhaps it is time to crawl up through that little hole into the next world. You can bet it will include a lot of tapestry-making!

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Tapestry Classes Winter/Spring 2014 (including a new class!)

Well, I've gone and done it. I've committed to another round of tapestry workshops. These two are going to be great fun. They are both in my studio in the Second Street art district of Santa Fe. If you haven't taken a class in my studio before, it is a great place to learn. Maximum number of students is 7 and we have full advantage of my book collection for reference. All classes include use of my hand-dyed weft yarn and numerous handouts.

The first is almost full. I am teaching an extended version of the color gradation class I have taught a lot in the last few years January 19 to 23, 2014. This 5-day class will include learning weaving techniques to create color gradation in tapestry including hachure, hatching, and dye pot/weft bundling techniques as well as some discussion of color theory and design. There is only one spot left, so consider coming to Santa Fe for a little winter fun. (I have no guarantees about the weather, but New Mexico almost always has gloriously sunny winter days.)

The second class is a new one. I am teaching a beginning tapestry techniques class called Warp and Weft: Learning the Structure of Tapestry. This class will be March 24 to 26. We will learn the basics of tapestry technique with an emphasis on the structure of weft-faced weave and how it relates to creating a woven image. Students will complete a technique sampler they can refer to at home as well as begin working on how to incorporate concepts such as bubbling, splicing, joins, and craftsmanship as well as troubleshooting problems. Yep, that troubleshooting problems thing might be the most important of all.

You can find out more and sign up on my website at http://www.rebeccamezoff.com/workshops.
Please feel free to contact me with questions.


And in case you missed it, there is a link to last week's newsletter HERE.

Saturday, November 9, 2013

ATA's CODA

The American Tapestry Alliance (with kudos to Dorothy Clews and Margaret Sunday) has finished a synopsis of the 2013 newsletters. It is free for the public and a great thing to take a look at if you're at all interested in art or have a specific interest in tapestry. The newsletter is only available with membership in ATA, but this beautiful recap of some of the articles in the newsletter is free for everyone. So pass it around!
Of course I love the musical reference here, a coda being a final ending in a piece of music played usually after a repeat of some of the prior material.

Click HERE for the link to the document.



I am visiting my in-laws in Mississippi this weekend. The Mississippi Delta is a place where the restaurant hostesses pause a moment when you ask for the gluten free menu and then say they are going to go talk to their manager, there is not a single mountain trail to climb, and it rains a lot. But there is muscadine wine, it is good to see family, and I have gotten a lot of knitting done while watching little girls play.

Also, there are many forms of wildlife around here... and that's just in the house.