Day # 9

Hi Again. Today was again a beautiful sunny yet cool morning. My husband called earlier to let us know around Barrie,Ontario, snow was already there. And I mean not only flurries! Everything was white. I guess winter will be coming soon and heavy...hm.

The morning was busy as many people decided to visit the attic, and it is just wonderful! Even Sam, Sybil's labrador was helping in the weaving.

Not too much advance because there wasn't enough time to work this day. Too many things going on in the every-day-life that did not allow to do much today, but better little than nothing.
Picture of the day:


Music: Clannad, Medieval and celtic woodlands.....
No lunch for the day.

When thirteen Moons Entwine Exhibition

Exhibition at Moon Rain in Gatineau Hills for the International Textile Encounter When Thirteen Moons entwine.
It all took place in Moon Rain Centre , a not-for-profit cultural organization dedicated to integrating creativity and harmony in the community through the creation, exhibition and teaching of tapestry weaving and textile arts. It is a studio workshop and exhibition facility and a place for inspiration, creative retreat and renewal. The name Moon Rain refers to the mystic connections in indigenous cultures between the moon, weaving and the cosmos. Located in the Gatineau Hills north of Ottawa/Gatineau, in the Outaouais region of Quebec, Canada, Moon Rain Centre is known for its unique approach to inter-weaving art and community.

Moon Rain Centre specializes in interactive community arts projects and artists-in-the-schools weaving and textile art projects that are profoundly moving, publicly engaging and very highly praised. Recently, in conjunction with the exhibition “Tapestries from Moon Rain / Les Tapisseries du Centre Moon Rain” it presented "VISION WEAVE / TOILE de VISIONS" at the Bibliothèque de Lyon, in Lyon, France, a community tapestry project interwoven with the visions and messages of its makers. The director of La Condition de la Soie cultural centre where the Bibliotheque is located, stated that this project represents the very essence of community and sharing, and that Quebec has a major role to teach these qualities to the world.

…weaving transmits the energy of peace…

Canadian tapestry artist Thoma Ewen is artistic director of Moon Rain Centre. She has exhibited her visually radiant tapestries nationally and internationally for more than 35 years, and her works appear in corporate, private and public collections. Inspired by the natural environment of the Gatineau Hills that surround the Centre, and by ancient Amerindian weaving wisdom that recognizes weaving to be a sacred path, Thoma’s workshops teach how weaving transmits the energy of peace. Thoma was recently awarded Le Grand Prix d'Excellence IVem Jeux de la Francophonie for her contributions to the cultural community.

…the vision of Moon Rain is to share the beauty and mystery of weave…

To learn more about Thoma Ewen and her work, click
The Gallery

The gallery is a beautiful barn in the middle of the beautiful scenery of the Gatineau Hills in Quebec.

advances from the project.

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A couple of blogs ago I started showing the tapestry I am weaving at my Studio. I know it has taken me such a long time already beacue it is not even the really big ones and I am still not finished, but I was away for the Summer, so I guess I have a great excuse. Hopefully I manage to finish it by this coming week.

It is almost 2 am and my back is telling me: what are you waiting for? get some sleep, girl! So, I guess for now I will say Good night!

Special visitors at the Attic

Special visitors came to the Attic last Friday. We where honoured to have Kevin Flynn, our MPP for Oakville, as well as Megan Whittington, Director of the Oakville Arts Council.
Interesting roundtables where made to have a brainstorm for the future of the Arts in Oakville.
We have been organizing our cultural Groups and working hard to find places to develop our arts in Towne.
Thank you Mr. Flynn for your interest and support.

Day # 8

As you see, little by little, centimeter by centimeter, the tapestry is starting to breath on it's own! It is just fascinating how it is developing already in this small area. Can't wait to see more very soon!



Day 8, Friday October 15 was again sunny yet a bit cool morning. Yamile and I arrived just before the artists from the visual arts group arrived. The music we selected for this morning was rennaissance. And of course people started to show up in the Attic. It is such an inviting room and the weaving was delightful!

Suddenly, around 1.30 we ahd a special visit from Jody Orr, our true friend who was celebrating her 60th Birth Day!!!! and what a way to celebrate but to be in this magical space.
Congratulations Jody. come back and visit us soon.



These materials you see here where donated by Chung Ja Jackson. I would like to than k all the wonderful people who have donated materials for this amazing project. Be sure I will do my best to honour your donations and transform them into wonderful textures! Thank you all.



See you soon.

Day # 7

Wow, Fall season is right here inside and outside Joshua Creek. The attic is shinny and the wind blows in such way that the leaves fly all over the window.
The day started with lovely music by Loreena Mckennit. Visitors as always dropped by and we had Stella Tang at the level where she could use a comfortable chair and start to put hands on the tapestry.

She is such a talented weaver and we are so glad to have her to collaborate in this project.
It was already noon when my husband dropped by to bring my lunch I had forgotten at home, when another member of the Oakville Tapestry Studio came to visit us. Her name is Lorraine Gard and she has been in the Studio for almost 3 years now.
She also wanted to do a bit for the project and I appreciate it.

It is hard to have many different hands in one same project. I am not used to because I have woven entirely all my projects, and this would be the first to have some other hands on collaborations. Let's see how this develops and if I believe the project is not going the way I have envisioned it, I guess we will have to figure out away to keep the essence of the design in order to put together all the different hands on- experience.
There are various levels of weaving tensions, techniques, temperaments, etc. So I guess that part of the fascination is precisely the expectation of wht will bethe outcome! Great experience for All.
Thank you Yamile for being so interested and for being such a commited and fast learner. You have been able to do all the different techniques on-the-go! WOW!

I guess in the times of the great series of large scale tapestries, the Royal Factories of Tapestries had cartoons with all kinds of detailing and specifications for the weavers to follow, and the Master weaver would coordinate those details. Here, I have only a rough sketch behind the warp and in the close-up photograph I tend to follow the image.


Here is Sam, another visitor at the Attic. He is Sybil's labrador and it is such a nice educated dog!



The picture of the day. Slowly coming alive!...but only a few centimeters, huh!
See you next time!

Visitors at the Attic.Day # 6

Wednesday 6 of October 2010. Day # 6 of the Woven journal.

It was quite a busy day because we had visitors coming in and out. A bit cool yet warm in essence due to all the wonderful visitors we had today.
First came Peter, one of my friends from Flamenco dancing class showed up. He is such a tall guy that I had to take 2 photographs for him to fit completely, jaja. Peter is a wonderful friend. Thank you for visiting us this lovely morning.



I know it is just for fun by taking 2 shots, but really he is so tall we had to find special flamenco shoes all around for his size!

The day was productive as for weaving, but you know how this is....productive meaning just a few centimeters!




Music: Santana and spanish joyfull music groups to cheer up the day.
Until next time.

Tapestry and Painting exhibit.

Oil Painting and Woven Tapestry

Arts Show



Ning Zhao




Stella Tang



Ixchel Suarez







Where: Visual Arts Mississauga
Lawren Harris Studio

When: November 5-6-7, 2010

Time: Opening! Friday 6:00 - 9:00 pm.
Saturday 10:00 - 4:00 pm.
Sunday 10:00 - 4:00 pm.

The Woven Journal Day # 5

First of all before I tell you all about Day 5 at the Attic, I have to let you know about the advances on the series of tapestries. This textured bark was a photograph I took in a park in Algonquin Park.
It is challenging because all of the fractal black lines that creates some kind of sectioned surface. I am glad I am weaving this parallel to the one in the attic because colour wise it is completely different and it makes me concentrate in different projects at the same time depending on the day of the week.









Now coming back to Day # 5
This is just a view of the studio from the Attic. As i mentioned, being in Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre has been awesome due to the wonderful energy we breath and sense all around all through the day. People coming in and out doing art! watercolor, sketching, printing,fibre arts....you tell me. Everything is just creativity in FULL.

Early in the day, which was a sunny yet a bit cool morning, Yamile and I started to weave in one corner of the tapestry, listening to a Colombian group Yamile wanted to share with us. Usually when there is no one around we would listen to very cheerful music almost starting to dance from time to time.(we are definitely Latin Americans who need Sun and music...jaja)

Today we had to be a bit reserved because of the workshop being held downstairs... So, Il Divo and Classical music it was.


It was another inspired day. Who wouldn't just to be here at Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre!
Not only because Yamile brought AREPAS, yummy! this is a traditional sort of cake made out of corn flour, cheese, butter which can be eaten with ham ! We started the day with this treat.


Another interesting thing was that Sofia my daughter came to the Studio to weave and help on the writing of this journal. Thank you Sofia. You are always so supportive of everything I do. I truly love you.
Stella of course could not be out of the picture! I love her smile and the willingness to help in any way. Suddenly she showed up and we were really happy to see her.
Cant wait to weave up to the level where she can get her hands on, since she cannot be at the level of the floor like we are for now. She has been one of the most prolific weavers of the Oakville Tapestry Studio and will be great to have her share of weaving in this amazing project. Thank you Stella.


So, good bye for now. Wait for Day 6!

Back in time, and back into large projects! wee!

I was going through some of my previous works from long time ago, and I came up with some images from my Studio : Textil Creativo in Mexico. Here is where I started to explore the possibilities of a large format after coming back from Lodz in Poland where I studied.




Of course I would love to go really BIG into a LAAAARGE format such as Tamara Jaworska´s tapestries, but for now i will have to settle with this because for now, I am working in my basement. The one in the Attic is being woven at Joshua Creek, and unfortunately I won´t be able to go there but once or twice a week.Too bad. I am really enjoying being there in the Attic!
THis picture you see above is a a tapestry I wove 19 years ago.

You could tell by looking at me there...ja ja. Time really passes by, huh?.




Impression in the Savannah was another large tapestry I enjoyed weaving in 2007, and it was quite plain (in a sense because if you look closer you will find all kinds of different technique that create different textures)




My latest large one...




Textures of the Night was the latest finished large tapestry. It was a commissioned piece and comparing to the one before it was such an explosion of colour and textures that was really fun to be working on.

Now, my time is for the one in the Attic.
Keep up with the blog and follow the day-by-day work in the woven journal....almost on Day 6!

See you soon.