Posted: February 25th, 2008
Just got back from another wonderful visit to Mexico. My friend, Christine, and I travelled to El Tuito to study French tapestry with our friends and mentors, Jean Pierre Larochette and Yael Lurie. We wove with a total of 7 people in our class for 12 days of studio time and excursions. Our theme this year was corn. The weather was wonderful, slightly cooler than normal, but very warm compared to our canadian winters. There was a second class taught by Susan Martin Maffei which our friend, Heather, participated in. I will give more details later.Â
Posted: August 27th, 2007
Wow! - there have been a lot of activity and updates to my website recently so I thought I would make sure everyone knew what to look for:
1. Be sure to join my Email List so you can stay up to date on news and classes as I publish them -
2. We recently added the Tapestry Recipe Collection by our regional tapestry group TAPIS:
3. My latest piece involved in an international exchange with tapestry weavers from New Mexico has been posted to my Gallery page.
4. My Links Page has been updated with many new sites of interest.
Thank you to everyone who has been visiting regularly - Please check back often as there will be lots more exciting updates coming soon!
Posted: January 27th, 2007
Saturday, January 27, 2007:
Plans are under way for another adventure to Mexico. This year we leave on February 6 from Vancouver, B.C. airport for Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. We are arriving one day early for our Retreat with Jean Pierre Larochette and Yael Lurie in El Tuito. This year we are joining the preceding class for the Art Walk in Puerto Vallarta on Wednesday, February 7th. We will participate in the show at the Huichol Gallery on Corona Street. I have just completed tapestry number 3 in my series inspired by the ruins at Mitla and Mount Alban in Oaxaca. I will be showing these tapestries. My traveling companions, Christine Rivers and Bonnie Nicholls, have tapestries as well as the other members of our course. We are looking forward to warm temperatures, blue skies and lots of inspiration and learning. I will keep you posted regarding our adventures. Our month will include the 9 day retreat in El Tuito, 2 weeks on the beach at La Manzanilla, and 7 days in Mexico City and Oaxaca.
Posted: March 18th, 2006
Day three saw us with a visitor from Mexico, Gabriel Canales. Gabriel is a self-taught tapestry weaver who learned to warp the loom horizontally and weave vertically. He specializes in small format using the materials he can find easily. He often works on looms he has built from wooden matches using sewing thread for his warp and weft materials. He does both 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional work. He has exhibited in South America and Europe. Gabriel trained as a dentist, but has been weaving for 20 years, and also is a baker, both passions he feels glad he can pursue.
Photo of Jean Pierre and Gabriel in the weaving studio at El Tuito.
His work is part of the exhibit of Small Format tapestry pieces that were shown the previous week in El Tuito and will move to a gallery in Puerto Vallarta as part of the Art Walk. We will be going into Puerto Vallarta on Wednesday, tomorrow, to be part of the Art Walk and see our weavings on display as well.
The rest of the day was spent in the weaving studio, finishing warping our looms and preparing our cartoons to actually start the weaving process.
Examples of the small looms made from wooden match sticks that Gabriel uses to weave on.
Posted: March 14th, 2006
Monday morning found us at the studio. Each person was assigned a loom and a drawing table. Jean Pierre and Yael had worked with Phillipe Playe from Beauvais, France in June of last year at a workshop in Berkeley on the Anatomy of Tapestry. Hachures were the theme of our workshop since they are a key element in design in French Tapestry. Each person was given two pieces of rope and was told to create a design within a 5 inch wide warp looking at shape, light and shadow. This was a very enjoyable exercise and everyone felt successful with their designs. The ropes were mounted on black construction paper and then cartoons were drawn. The key was to consider the negative space around the rope. Looms were warped and colours chosen for the weaving exercise.
Posted: March 12th, 2006
March 12, 2006:
Well I have been home almost a week from spending 29 days in Mexico. I would like to share with you some of the adventures and activities we participated in while down there. Christine Rivers, a fellow tapestry weaver from Parksville, and I headed down to El Tuito (a small Mexican village 30 miles south of Puerto Vallarta) on Sunday, February 5th. El Tuito is home to Jean Pierre Larochette and Yael Lurie for part of the year. We had arrived to participate in a nine day weaving workshop with four others on French Aubusson style tapestry weaving and design. We were met by Jean Pierre in Puerto Vallarta and joined tapestry students: Pam Davis from Minnesota, Olga Neuts from Arizona, Kessiah Carlson from Texas and Lynn Cosell from Virginia. We had made the acquaintance of Kessiah and Lynn last year at the same tapestry retreat.
Jean Pierre loaded our bags and us into a passenger van and off we headed for “The House that Weaves” in El Tuito. The humid warm air felt good and the sights and sounds of Mexico were evident as we headed south the 30 miles to El Tuito. We followed the coast for about half of the trip and then headed inland and up in the mountains where pine mixed with palm. When we arrived in El Tuito we were met by Yael, Concha and Chayo where we shown to our rooms and prepared for dinner, Mexican style. The main building houses 3 bedrooms with bathrooms,a weaving studio and kitchen and dining area.
Christine and I shared the bedroom on the top floor next to the weaving studio. The building is brick, with tile floors, wonderful windows to view the surrounding village and mountains.
Meals are supervised by Yael and usually prepared by Concha and Chayo. They are delicious and nutritious featuring a Mexican flare.
The evening ended with wonderful chatter and getting to know each other, renewing old acquaintances. Then off to bed to prepare for the next days work.
Day two to follow…
Posted: February 17th, 2006
We had another two great days yesterday and today. Today was our first day when we did not have any plans so we wandered over to the local farm market, had breakfast with the locales, bought some chocolate and payaya. Spend the rest of the day being tourists checking out art galleries, shops and the old churches. Just finished dinner at a restaurant on the zocalo.
Posted: February 15th, 2006
I am having a wonderful time in Mexico. Every day has been magical. The weaving workshop in El Tuito was great. We just arrived in Oaxaca City yesterday after a 6 hour bus ride from Mexico City. The hotel is great. We had a tour of Teolatin Valley where the rug weavers are. Imagine everyone in the village weaves rugs.
Posted: January 8th, 2006
Welcome to my new website!
