The Nature of Things by Tommye McClure Scanlin

The Nature of Things by Tommye McClure Scanlin

Tommye McClure Scanlin is an artist from North Georgia. But I might also say that she is of North Georgia. She is an artist that is firmly rooted in this place she has lived all of her life and this is the thread I feel running through her artwork. Her new book, The Nature of Things: Essays of a Tapestry Weaver, has just been released from University of North Georgia Press.

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That dedication to exploration is one of the narrative strands throughout The Nature of Things. Because developing her own designs and work is full of this nature of exploration: from her walks in the woods as she contemplates subject matter through various methods of designing including painting, drawing, dyeing, collage, and woven sampling. Seeing this process laid out repeatedly in this book as she takes us through her work in various series and about a variety of subjects, underlines the organic way she works. She pays attention to what interested her in a particular project and she works through that interest in another iteration. Hearing her talk about this and seeing the images she provides of a project as it evolves is a powerful way to communicate her artistic process and draw us into her work.

The Winds

The Winds

Smoke, fire, pandemic, murder hornets, whatever is next in 2020 was starting to get to me. (Pretty sure alien invasion must be next.) Summer was fast slipping away from me and in fact, we had 5 inches of snow in Fort Collins the second week of September when it was still SUMMER! A window of warmer weather was opening up in the state just 45 miles north of here, Wyoming, and I was determined to get out for a backpacking trip one more time.

The Schacht Arras tapestry loom

The Schacht Arras tapestry loom

This is a great loom. I love how beautiful the wood is. The product is thoughtfully designed and works really well for tapestries 20 inches wide or less. The optional beam assembly (not yet tested by me) would allow you to weave tapestries as long as you want or warping continuously, you can weave something about 36 inches long comfortably. You could probably push the warp farther by moving the shedding mechanism higher or taking it off, but it will do a piece this big comfortably.

This loom is not small nor very portable. It won’t serve your needs if you need to fly to workshops or take it along on your camping trip. But if you want a constant companion in your studio and want to weave things 20 inches wide or narrower, this loom is a great option. I believe the price to be more than fair and quite a bit less than I anticipated when I was weaving on the prototype. This loom is a great value for the price. If you want a loom that will last for the rest of your life, will look and feel great to weave on, and offers flexibility in terms of longer warps with the optional beam kit, this loom is well worth serious consideration.

I wrote a book. It is time to pre-order it!

I wrote a book. It is time to pre-order it!

(You knew that, didn't you. Sorry to overshare... kind of feels like a big deal still.) If you’re impatient, you can click over to the book page on my website to see some of the inside pages and read reviews HERE.

The book is called The Art of Tapestry Weaving. It is a tapestry techniques book that covers making a tapestry from the very beginning. It includes chapters about color and design as well as all the regular tapestry techniques. It was intended to help new weavers learn but also as a reference for people who have some experience in tapestry.

Remember that 1-800 time number we called as kids to figure out if our clocks were right?

Remember that 1-800 time number we called as kids to figure out if our clocks were right?

If you were in last week’s Change the Shed you know that I was a few minutes late. In fact, I suspect I am often a few minutes late starting because the clock on my computer is off and the program I use goes by the clock on the computer.

My dear student and friend Trish kindly helped me with this little “problem” this week. She pointed out that not only is there an international atomic clock with public access that can be checked, but that it is actually IN FORT COLLINS!!! (I always wondered what that array of tall radio towers with lights on the top north of town was). So living here, I should definitely have my time lined up.

Weaving about the Cameron Peak Fire, Part 2

Weaving about the Cameron Peak Fire, Part 2

Several weeks ago I wrote a post about the start of the Cameron Peak Fire in northern Colorado. This fire has brought up some challenging emotions for me and I’m sure I’m not done dealing with all of them.

This fire started August 13th high up near the Continental Divide near Chambers Lake. It was started by a person though the details have not been publicly released yet. It was a bluebird day. The fire sat at around 25,000 acres for a long time—weeks, and I was lulled into some sense of hope that it wouldn’t grow much more before the snows came. But fire is fickle and a beast waiting for just the right weather conditions. Last weekend the fire more than tripled with one run of 10 miles.

All the little tapestry diary pieces: a roundup

All the little tapestry diary pieces: a roundup

I’ve been weaving what I call my tapestry diary since November of 2016 when I did an artist residency at Petrified Forest National Park. I’ve had many posts about this practice over the last almost four years and I wanted to gather them all together here. I’ve also added category tags to many posts and these are tagged and can be found from the list on the blog. That list is on the right side on a computer and larger mobile devices (iPad) and is at the bottom of the blog list on a mobile phone. The tapestry diary posts are categorized Tapestry Diary and if you’re looking for something in another category, say, Looms or Yarn, that will help you out!

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The tapestry diary has been a place for me to play, work through events, remember places, and mostly just mess around with small looms. These pieces have all been small because that is part of the point. I sometimes call the practice sketch tapestry and have taught workshops about it. But you don’t need a workshop to quickly understand the concept. Weave something from an idea or a quick sketch that is simple and aims to evoke a place, something simple you saw, or an emotion. I like to keep these very small so they are finished quickly and I don’t get hung up on making them perfect. Ditch the perfectionism with this practice. It helps let go when things matter more.