Traditional Weavers of Guatemala: Their Stories, Their lives
written by Deborah Chandler and Teresa Cordon,
photographed by Joe Coca,
has kept me enthralled for weeks.
written by Deborah Chandler and Teresa Cordon,
photographed by Joe Coca,
has kept me enthralled for weeks.
It is a visual and narrative treat.
Indeed, I am somewhat embarrassed
to post my photos
as they are such a poor imitation of the actual book.
But I guess we'll have to put up with the blunt tools
at hand, for that is what I have just now.
And happily, this book reminds me how tools:
loom, spindle, shovel, camera,
are only the beginning.
loom, spindle, shovel, camera,
are only the beginning.
To state the obvious, at least to you, my dear maker readers,
it is hand wielding them
that makes all the difference between
the mediocre
and the glorious.
it is hand wielding them
that makes all the difference between
the mediocre
and the glorious.
And this book is filled with the glorious.
.
There are descriptions of technique throughout --
things I have never seen (much less understood),
Doubled sided brocade, for instance.
There are colors
and artisans talking, in detail, about color choices.
.
There are descriptions of technique throughout --
things I have never seen (much less understood),
Doubled sided brocade, for instance.
There are colors
and artisans talking, in detail, about color choices.
And there are
lives.
I read of years
filled with yarn and
precise technique.
I learned of
loss and renewal
and family
and connection.
Some of the stories are hard.
Guatemalan history has been
fraught with human and natural disaster.
And yet it is the intertwining
of circumstance and artistry,
of controlled skill and uncontrollable events
that make the book so good.
lives.
I read of years
filled with yarn and
precise technique.
I learned of
loss and renewal
and family
and connection.
Some of the stories are hard.
Guatemalan history has been
fraught with human and natural disaster.
And yet it is the intertwining
of circumstance and artistry,
of controlled skill and uncontrollable events
that make the book so good.
 that skill, and dedication to improving it, can see us through no matter where we live. |  |
Reading at home
with spindle in hand
I feel fortunate to be connected,
if tenuously,
and only by a thread
to weavers opening sheds, everywhere.
(Yeah, I know. Textile metaphors. But what else could I say???)
with spindle in hand
I feel fortunate to be connected,
if tenuously,
and only by a thread
to weavers opening sheds, everywhere.
(Yeah, I know. Textile metaphors. But what else could I say???)
The second book I want to mention
Tapestries From Egypt,
was written and published in 1961.
Tapestries From Egypt,
was written and published in 1961.
My copy is tattered,
but the images inside
are fresh and delightful
and the book
a great companion to
the current TEx@ATA Exhibition
Threads of Life, Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Centre, Egypt:
A Journey in Creativity
curated by Ikram Nosshi
and Susanne Wissa Wassef
but the images inside
are fresh and delightful
and the book
a great companion to
the current TEx@ATA Exhibition
Threads of Life, Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Centre, Egypt:
A Journey in Creativity
curated by Ikram Nosshi
and Susanne Wissa Wassef
and in the name of full disclosure
I admit to being the person
responsible for lining up the exhibitions--
but please don't let that put you off.
I admit to being the person
responsible for lining up the exhibitions--
but please don't let that put you off.
The ideas of Ramses Wissa Wassef
and the astonishing tapestries (originally woven only by young children with no art training), are vivid, compelling and oh so very satisfying.
From the Natural Dyes grown on site at the Center
to the fluid, narrative images...
but wait!
Never mind my words.
Just Click HERE
and you'll be in the midst of it.
Also, if you happen to be in NYC in the near future
I believe you can see (or even buy) Wissa Wassef tapestries at
the Store at Metropolitan Museum of Art
If you're extra lucky,
you might even find a copy of the book somewhere too!
The third book for today
(and I do apologize for the length of this post-- I fear that if I don't write about all three I'll get distracted by weaving or spinning or embroidery or drawing or some other of the absurd number of things to which I devote my days, and won't get back to it),
is Small Woven Tapestries by Mary Rhodes.
(and I do apologize for the length of this post-- I fear that if I don't write about all three I'll get distracted by weaving or spinning or embroidery or drawing or some other of the absurd number of things to which I devote my days, and won't get back to it),
is Small Woven Tapestries by Mary Rhodes.
 B T Batsford Limited; London It was published in 1973 so is also not a new book. |  Detail from the medieval tapestry, Hunting the Wild Birds, one of a series formerly owned by the Duke of Devonshire, woven in the late fifteenth century. |
Most of the images are black and white,
another reminder of the importance of value in tapestry.
(As if, says anyone who has ever taken one of my tapestry workshops,
she would ever stop talking about it).
another reminder of the importance of value in tapestry.
(As if, says anyone who has ever taken one of my tapestry workshops,
she would ever stop talking about it).
Peruvian Tapestry thought to date to the 6th century AD. Are they not the most captivating creatures?
Rhodes has filled the book with images
from myriad periods of tapestry history
though mostly from the time in which she wrote.
from myriad periods of tapestry history
though mostly from the time in which she wrote.
Showing me once again
that whether one is in contemporary Guatemala,
or late 20th Century Egypt
or Pre-Incan Peru
or 1970's Britain
or Instagram in 2015
There is not much that is truly new in the world of warp and weft.
that whether one is in contemporary Guatemala,
or late 20th Century Egypt
or Pre-Incan Peru
or 1970's Britain
or Instagram in 2015
There is not much that is truly new in the world of warp and weft.
So glad I can spin and read and marvel at the same time. ©Sarah C. Swett 2015
