Small Format Tapestry

Every two years, ATA has been sponsoring a small format tapestry exhibit in conjunction with Convergence. This year it is at the TECO Plaza Art Gallery in Tampa, Florida, and called Woven Gems. It is opened to all tapestry artists in the world and is unjuried so, in my opinion, it is the most exciting tapestry exhibit. There are some first ever tapestries as well as the work of the tapestry "stars". Often there is experimental work because of the 10" x 10" size maximum which makes it easier to try new ideas. This year there are 189 entries from 30 states and 9 countries which is a record breaking participation.

Ordinarily, I have my tapestry done well before the Jan 15 application deadline but this year I hadn't even started. I didn't even have a design in mind. I almost decided to just forget it this time but at the very last minute I went through my sketchbook, picked out 3 possible watercolors I could work from and sent in my application. I decided to warp the loom for 3 small tapestries and hoped that I would like one of them enough to send in. All three of them wove up like a dream. I loved them all and had a hard time deciding which one to send but chose this first one to go to the show. It was actually woven second on the warp.



I thought the sky was the most interesting and showed a lot of depth. This is the watercolor used to make the tapestry cartoon. These are all views that I see out my window everyday of the Bridger Mountains in southwest Montana.



This next tapestry is the first one that I wove. All of these are on a wool warp sett at 8 epi on my Mirrix loom. The weft is handspun singles.



Here is the watercolor sketch for this one. I've only recently started using watercolors and just do small paintings about the size of a postcard for my sketchbook.



This is the third tapestry I wove.



Here is the watercolor I worked from.



And this is the photo that I did the watercolor from. Sometimes I see a beautiful sky but don't have the time that moment to paint it so like to take a photo for later.



I had so much fun making these which are all 9" x 6 3/4", that I would like to do more of the same scene in different moods and weather and somehow assemble them into a larger piece.