Artist:
tommye scanlin – Dahlonega, GA
Bio:
I have been weaving tapestries for over thirty years. Sharing what I’ve learned in those years has been part of my life as I’ve taught many workshops for fiber groups and schools like Arrowmont, John C. Campbell Folk School, and Penland.
Artist Statement:
The natural world of the Southern Appalachian Mountains is where I find inspiration. Details of this world become part of the tapestries I weave. I often choose to do natural dyeing for my weft to add one more aspect to my response to nature.
Narrative:
The tapestry is one of an ongoing year-long tapestry diary process I’ve been doing for eleven years. It represents the days of the year, as they come and go, by weaving a separate small square or rectangle each day. The colors of naturally dyed wool weft were selected daily by casting a die. Each pip of the die represents a different primary and secondary color, made varied by different tints, tones and shades of those colors. For instance, if I threw one with the die, red would be used since I’ve assigned red to that number. Likewise, each other number of the die is represented by a color: 2 = yellow, 3 = blue, etc.
Techniques Used: Handwoven tapestry
Materials Sourced From Nature: Naturally dyed wool weft
Other Materials Used: Linen warp
Measurements: 58" x 11.5" x 1"