Visions of book tours? (Let's have a virtual launch.)

Visions of book tours? (Let's have a virtual launch.)

I’m pretty sure most how-to book* authors don’t go on book tours, but a gal can dream. After two solid years of writing and editing, it does seem like a book tour would be fun. I am pretty sure I would be tired of it in about a week, so perhaps it is better that I’m not the next Margaret Atwood.

Due to COVID there won’t be any in-person book events at all for the foreseeable future, but I am doing some virtual events to celebrate my book launch. The publication date is Tuesday, November 3rd. I’m hoping those of you in the USA see it as a positive event on an otherwise fraught day instead of remembering that my book dropped on Election Day 2020. Thanks for helping me with that mental restructuring. The book was supposed to be released on October 27th, but it missed the arrival date in the warehouse and got pushed back a week and I’m still having a bit of a hard time syncing my book release (a happy thing!) with Election Day (a huge unknown). There are people who are getting the book delivered early and if you’re one of the lucky ones, I hope you’re enjoying it.

A new look, a new book, and the energy the fire took...

A new look, a new book, and the energy the fire took...

About the logo! I’ve been working on a logo for my business for about a year now. Some of you saw an earlier version and I appreciate your feedback on how you thought it did or did not reflect me and my teaching style.

And the book! My answer on Tuesday about my favorite part of the book was about a piece in the Introduction called “How to be a Beginning Tapestry Weaver.” This might actually have been the seminal idea for the whole manuscript.

And a bit about the fires in Colorado at the end.

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.