Elaine Duncan

February 3, 2011:  Seven weavers: Christine Rivers, Donna Millen, and myself from Canada; Jackie Wollenberg, Mimi Heft from California; Kissiah Carlson from Texas and Lynn Cosell from West Virginia came together at the home of Jean Pierre Larochette and Yael Lurie in El Tuito, Jalisco, Mexico for our annual french tapestry retreat.  This year’s subject was “Offerings”.  Jean Pierre described it this way:  “Our group has been meeting for many years now, our personal lives converging in our love to the art we practice and the friendship that unites us.  Out of these times together, of life shared, grows a sense of gratitude.  Out of the all embracing feeling of gratefulness is the desire to acknowledge that which is also most private and dear.  Offerings in a secular spirit may not differ that much from the ancient religious practices of donation, sacrifice and gift giving.  “Ofrendas” are also gifts to the departed ones, commemorative celebrations of somebody’s life.  they symbolize gratitude, nourish generosity and bring forward contemplative inspiration. ”  Our task was to invite us to gather thoughts, objects, small relics found in the memory, images of which you would love to weave. 

Each morning, Jean Pierre and Yael, gave us wonderful talks about the history of French tapestry weaving, including the traditions, the workshops, the artists, the designs, the cartoon making, etc.  This was a very special time for me to summarize and gather the memories from the last 7 years of my time in El Tuito.  Jean Pierre mentioned one morning that it takes 7 years of apprenticing in French Tapestry before you became a weaver.  I know that this is no longer the practice as there are not many, if any opportunities, to participate in such a program presently.  But I felt that I could look at my learning experiences with these great masters of French Tapestry and since it had been an honor to be included in seven retreats, I perhaps, could treat  this last retreat as my celebratory graduation.  Each year that I came back from a retreat, I would weave alot and practise what I had learned and be prepared to ask more questions at the next time.  And so I raise my glass to Jean Pierre and Yael and thank them for this special time with them as my teachers.  It literally has changed my life.  Who knew that my first time in Mexico, in 2005, that I would choose to build a small casita and plan to attend my winters in the lovely little coastal village of Lo de Marcos.  Yes, this experience has changed my life significally…meeting weavers from around the world, learning new ways of doing things, loving the culture of colour, music, and language.  Muchas gracias Jean Pierre and Yael!!!  

I would like to quote from something that Jean Pierre shared with us:  “Weaving is the great classic symbol of the coming together and intermeshing of separate threads to make a new integrity.”  Carla Needleman, The Work of Craft.

Jean Pierre’s “offerings” tapestry 

Christine Rivers' tapestry and cartoon for the next one

Kissiah Carlson weaving an image of a young boy on a loom brought by a Brazilian weaver from the previous course

Mimi Heft's tapestry

Lynn Cosell weaving on her tapestry

Donna Millen and her delightful piece

"Gift from the Sea" and my shells used for inspiration

tapestry sampler based on the theme of Offerings

Jean Pierre Larochette discussing his latest tapestry.

On February 2, 2011 MAIZ and WaterSongs tapestry exhibitions were formally opened at the Peter Gray Museo, CUC campus, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  Many of the MAIZ weavers were present for the opening including Gabriel Canales of Guadalajara, Mexico who had several pieces in the show.  It was a great turn out of visiting tourists as well as local artists and weavers.  Each participating artist was acknowledged with a gift of a book from the museo.  Jean Pierre Larochette and Yael Lurie showed several new tapestries of their watersongs series as well as very large tapestries woven several years ago.  The space captured the essence of these large pieces and showed them off exquisitely.  Jean Pierre, Sarah Swett and Gabriel Canales all gave talks about the tapestries.  This exhibition runs from January 25 to March 5, 2011.  Everyone is welcome to come and see the wide variety of tapestries.  Thanks to the sponsors of the museo and to Jean Pierre and Yael for this wonderful exhibition. 

The small tapestry work of Gabriel Canales

Watersheds by Yael Lurie and Jean Pierre Larochette

The postcard and invitation to the exhibition

And pottery of course...all colourful under blue skies and sunshine

Today is the market day in La Penita, a town about 20 minutes north of here.  We stayed there two years ago and really enjoyed the ambience.  So off we went in a collectivo from Lo de Marcos for market day.  It was very crowded with many vendors selling everything possible.  Most of the crafts were located in the main square, but down the streets were vendors with commercial kitchen ware, clothing, CD’s, parts for your stove, etc.  We were greeted by a fellow selling freshly picked strawberries, which we just had to have.  Then the next vendor sold freshly baked whole grain breads with sunflower seeds.  And of course, we just had to have a loaf.  I have posted a few photos of what you can expect to see here. 

Handwoven wool rugs from the looms of the Zapotec weavers in Teotitlan de Valle, Oaxaca

Baskets for sale

Wonderful Winter

This is my Christmas card for 2010…I send it to everyone who views my website. I wish you a wonderful holiday season and wishes for a creative and productive new year.  This small tapestry (approx 4″ wide by 8″ high) is sett at 16 epi and was woven in the fall of 2009.  It is 12/12 cotton seine twine warp with cotton embroidery floss and wool mixed with a synthetic fibre that looks like snow crystals.  Feliz Navidad!!!! all the way from Mexico.

This past September my partner, Don, and I travelled to Fort St. John to visit with his son,daughter-in-law, and grandchildren.  I had brought a warped small copper pipe loom along with some yarn and bobbins.  Soon after our arrival, I sat with the family and showed them how to weave.  The youngest grandchild, Amanda, wove a few rows.  Then her oldest brother, Josh, gave it a try.  But Shane, the middle child, and his mom, Linda, were the most enthusiastic.  It was a whole family affair (except Dad, who observed and followed along the weaving).  I have posted a photo of the finished piece…they sent it to me for mounting.  They wove without a cartoon, counting warp threads and hitching on and off.  I was really proud of their endeavours and the finished product.  I am looking forward to seeing more projects…Lin mentioned something about weaving bookmarks.

The Bontron Family Tapestry

I am just in the process of cutting back the weld plants in my natural dye garden.  I have saved some of the seed for next year.  But from the reading I have done, I understand that the seeds can get away from you and that you can have quite an invasive plant on your hands.  My natural dye garden is very small…contained within a 4′ by 8′ raised bed with screens around the outside to prevent the deer from nibbling.  I stripped alot of the plants of their leaves, then have the leaves cooking in a vat of water.  I still have enough plants with leaves for another batch later in the season.  And I also used these plant leaves earlier in July for my natural dye dya class…so just a few plants give lots of dye.  It is a very clear yellow which sometimes I add some iron towards the end of the dyeing to yield greens.  I have been making skeins, then scouring and mordanting  paternayan persian wool, silk noils,  fine silk boucles, and fine 140/2 silks  all for tapestry weaving.  Last week I dyed with Tansy which I found along the road side where I live.  Again it yielded yellows, but different from the weld.  I will post photos soon.

Englishman River Falls Park

On Monday, July 12, 2010 our tapestry weaving class and spouses met for a potluck supper at Englishman River Falls Park.  This provided an opportunity to walk around the park and look at nature so we could get inspired for the four day workshop which was starting the next day.  I have been working with small format tapestries based on studies of nature…looking at colours and values, thinking about tapestry techniques which could be applied to design, etc.  I thought this might be a good exercise for my students.  We had people come from as far away as Ontario, the state of Washington and up near Kamloops, BC as well as locals.   On the Wednesday afternoon after class we headed up to Anna Runnings’ spinning mill where she gave the group a tour.  On Thursday evening, the members of the class and spouses went out for dinner at the French Creek House restaurant.  Friday we sadly had to say goodbye.  The focus of the course was materiality, value of colour and four tapestry techniques which included:  demi-duite, hachures, soumak and colour blending on bobbins.  The class was lots of fun!

Ann Robertson

Jenny Tindall

Allison Ottem

Martha Fulton

Betty Collins

Jude Perkins

Cande Walsworth

Marianne Sadik

Gail Higenell

On July 10 and 11, 2010, 6 people came to my home and we dyed with natural dyes.  The dyers came from far and near…one lady all the way from Ontario, others came from Port Alberni, Nanaimo and the rest were local.  They brought freshly scoured and mordanted wools, silks, and alpaca yarns in natural white, greys and browns.  There were three yellow dyes:  weld, fustic and osage orange.  In some of these dye baths we added a small amount of iron in the last 10 minutes to make greens.  The reds we used included cochineal and madder.  Logwood was used for purple.  Both indigo and woad were used for blues, but also we overdyed the cochineal to get purples and the yellows to get more greens.  We used walnut to get a soft, warm brown. 

dyed yarns on the line

Group photo of happy dyers