There is a lot of joy in getting together with a group of people who love the same things you do. I think we can safely say the people who came to my Taos retreat this month love yarn. Everyone has a different reason for weaving tapestry and those differences are always interesting for me to observe and ask about when I’m teaching. But generally we can all come together around the love of creating and yarn.
In the workshop this month I had a lot of different approaches. One student was motivated to study tapestry for historical and sociological reasons related to her family and their place or origin. Another student was very interested in Norwegian weaving and using that style to express personal images. Someone else was working on recovery from the death of a spouse and the feelings of loss and recovery that brought up. There were students who were interested in three dimensional tapestry, depicting water, interpreting dreams, interpreting life events, or working from inspiration other tapestry artists’ work brought them.
No matter why they were there, the work was fascinating to watch which is the biggest gift to me. I am always so energized by the ideas that come from various directions all of which are approached with this one medium.
The front door of Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos, New Mexico. The year it was made is carved into it, 1922.
A feeling for the retreat
Come with me through the front door of Mabel Dodge Luhan House and let’s see what we find.
Mabel’s living room is a wonderful place in the winter. There is a fire in the fireplace and a variety of cozy chairs to snuggle up in as you read a book or do a little sketching or knitting.
The living room at Mabel Dodge Luhan House.
The fireplace cheerfully popping with the green piñon burning in it.
As we gather for our first dinner and enjoy the good company, we might be looking forward to desert. This was the desert on the last night actually, flourless chocolate torte. And at the risk of overdoing the desert photos, Chef Sophia is pictured with a gluten free biscochito cheesecake which was the desert for lunch one day. I am not making this up. The food there is always amazing.
A flourless chocolate torte made by Ruth and decorated by Chef Sophia.
Chef Sophia and her gluten free biscochito cheesecake.
Quickly the looms came out, plans were made, and weaving was started.
Renee’s project getting started.
Weaversbazaar yarn waiting to be woven.
The Juniper House workshop room was full of weavers and much of the time it was quiet. Some groups are very chatty, some groups are quieter. This one spent a lot of time concentrating with intermittent punctuations of laughter and discussion.
Tapestry weavers working away in the Juniper House studio at Mabel Dodge Luhan House.
A part of the group took a trip to Tierra Wools in Chama one afternoon. (A big thank-you to Tierra Wools for opening especially for us!) This rug was one of the purchases and Jane and Mary are examining it the next morning. There may have also been some yarn purchased by various people.
Tapestry by Janet Rivera Switzer, Spirograph “Moki”
A “bit” of yarn brought back from Tierra Wools.
We also went to Taos Wools in Arroyo Seco where more purchasing and general hilarity ensued. I must admit that I came away with two skeins of hand-dyed alpaca that I can’t wait to knit or weave into a scarf. Taos Wools’ Chica is a beautiful singles yarn for tapestry weaving. I have a good collection of it now and am looking forward to doing more weaving with it next month as I prepare for a workshop I’m teaching at Taos Wools in March (there is one spot open if you want to come! We’re exploring color gradation with that beautiful yarn.)
Mary N, Kevin, Sybille, Renee, Marlena, and Kathy… all finding treasures.
The fantastic alpaca I acquired at Taos Wools. This is definitely not for tapestry weaving but it is going to make a beautiful scarf.
Below is a gallery of work and images from the week. There was so much gorgeous work done. Some of it was on paper or theoretical, but the inspiration and work completed was truly inspiring. On a computer, click to enlarge and use arrows to move. On a phone they’ll all come up as one long string of photos.
Here is the group!
Front two rows L —> R: Dolores, Kevin, Kathy, Rebecca, Sybille, Cori, Marlena, Renee
Back two rows L —> R: Mary N, Mary T, Robin, Elaine, Jane, Kim
La Cueva Café in Taos. An experience not to miss. Follow me for more Taos eating tips. 😜
Lastly, this is the inside of La Cueva. It is my favorite place to go in Taos. In the summer their patio is marvelous. In winter this dining room is tiny and cold, but they have a bigger room in the back that is not cold if your party is larger than two. The food is fabulous and I ate there twice on this trip. By myself. I would have done it again given the chance, but Mabel Dodge Luhan House fed us most of the time.
Sunset along one of the patios at Mabel Dodge Luhan House, Taos.
Does anyone else have a dog who absolutely insists they are going along? Sal loves a car trip and I think the message here is clear as I was packing my teaching suitcase.
Salsicha has something to say about the packing and the upcoming trip.