Tapestry Weaving - The Beginning

Some weaving exercises hanging out on my board. 

I've been playing around with weaving for quite some time and have been very drawn to tapestry weaving. I made the decision to seek out some tapestry classes so that I could learn the techniques properly and start from the beginning. A quick search led me to Ixchel Suarez and her amazing studio. 

In addition to being a renowned weaver, Ixchel runs a small art school called the Oakville Arts Studio. I was excited to see that it was close by and went to visit the studio that very same week. I knew when I entered the studio and spoke with her that she was going to be the teacher for me! She started me on a "weaving journal" - several small weavings that go over the basics of tapestry weaving. 

I started with basics, joins, decreases and circles and moved on to colour gradations. Now, I'm working on texture (my personal favourite)… 

I'm having so much fun and learning a lot. I'm so glad I the studio and get to go once a week, learn from Ixchel and be around all the other artists working on their own projects. It's just such a wonderful community and I'm so inspired every time I go. 

Colour gradation and basic techniques.