Artist:
Elizabeth Buckley
Bio:
As second-generation tapestry artist and teacher of over 50 years, Elizabeth Buckley’s tapestries have a lengthy exhibition history, including national and Canadian juried and invitational shows, as well as in museum exhibitions. Her work evolved from using techniques of the Mexican and Rio Grande traditions to those of French tapestry; from weaving with no pre-planned design to drawing and using a cartoon. She further honed her skills in Aubusson, France at the atelier of Gisèle Brivet. With her international student base in her online classes, in addition to her in person workshops, Elizabeth brings to the classroom her deep grounding in design principles and color theory that specifically apply to tapestry. She draws from multiple tapestry traditions to provide her students with the technique vocabulary for finding and expressing their own unique voice.
Artist Statement:
For me, transformation entails a shift in perspective, seeing in a new way which in turn impacts my sense of place and where I belong in the world. I challenged myself to use tapestry techniques from the French tapestry traditions to create the illusion of multiple layers of transparency; to create an abstracted articulation of viewing the electro-magnetic waves of the Aurora Borealis as if seen from above the earth. It is part of my new body of work called, “”Visions of Infinity.””
Techniques Used: Combined the use of two approaches to transparency: through the use of chiné (high contrast) weft bundle mixtures and through the use of hachures from the French tapestry tradition. I wove the tapestry in the Aubusson tradition, from the back and rotating the design 90 degrees so that it is woven from the side.
Materials: weft bundles of crewel-weight wools, perlé cotton, finely spun hand-dyed silks on 12/12 cotton seine twine warp sett at 10 epi.
Measurements: 60" x 60" x .5"
