Tapestry Workshops at Moon Rain Centre 2011

“During the process of designing and weaving each tapestry, I attune to ancient mysteries of the weaver’s path. The repetition of over and under, followed by under and over, meditatively connects me to Navajo, Mayan and Buddhist beliefs where weaving, or the union of warp, or tantra, with weft, or sutra, creates harmony.” Thoma Ewen, artistic director

Photography by Ken Ewen

Inspired by the natural environment, workshop participants explore and develop their own creativity, immersed in techniques and practices developed at Moon Rain Centre that demystify tapestry weaving, making it accessible to everyone.

Level One: workshops for beginners

July 23 & 24

August 6 & 7

This weekend workshop is an introduction to the art and craft of tapestry weaving. Basic techniques are explored and practiced on small frame looms. While learning to blend colours and build woven shapes and lines, participants create a small tapestry to take home.

$225 includes materials

Level Two: weaving tapestry

July 25 to 29

August 8 to 12

During this week workshop, the patterns of nature inspire woven tapestries, as each participant explores in depth the tapestry weaving process, developing and weaving a visual idea into a finished tapestry.

$475 includes materials prerequisite: Level One

Level Three: mentoring

Mentoring responds to the unique questions and concerns of individual advanced students. Emerging tapestry weavers are shown how to recognize and develop their own unique creative gifts, while learning to become active creative members of their own communities.

prerequisite: Level Two and portfolio

Level Four: weaving and culture

A workshop for teachers, arts educators and cultural facilitators

Weaving transmits the energy of Peace. It has a calming, harmonizing effect on people, especially on children, so is an excellent tool for today’s classrooms and community centers. This workshop teaches simple creative weaving skills and projects that are suitable for all ages, abilities, and cultural programming budgets. In this workshop participants learn how to turn the family ragbin into woven fabric art projects, how to make simple frame looms and weave on them, how to make cloth looms and more.

prerequisite: Level Two

workshop fees include all materials

camping and accommodation available on-site

For more information please contact Moon Rain Centre at

info@moonrain.ca

http://www.moonrain.ca/

819 457 9711



The Living Tapestry Workbook reviewed in Britain’s The Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers

The Living Tapestry Workbook received a glowing review from Jean Woods of the New Forest Guild in issue number 236 Winter 2010 of Great Britain’s The Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers.

Among the reviewer’s comments were, “a joy to view” , “encouragement to get started” and “inspire the belief you can do this too”.

The Workbook can be ordered online through the Moon Rain Centre website at

 http://www.moonrain.ca/TapestryWorkBook.html

     Also please check the December 11, 2009 posting on this blog for more information

The Chalice

The “Chalice” tapestry was commissioned for Michele Couzens-Eason of Kent, England in celebration of her 50^th birthday.

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The tapestry represents Glastonbury Tor, one of Michele’s favourite places.There are many legends of the Tor: some suggest it may have been an ancient Druid sacred site in England, and is thought to have been the location of Avalon in Arthurian times. One thing is certain - it is a place of powerful energies

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I depicted energy spiraling around the Tor and then coming up out of the Tor. Portraying the Tor energies seemed quite natural, since both Michele and her husband Paul Eason are Reiki practitioners who do healing energy work. When I came close to finishing the weaving of the tapestry, I noticed that a chalice shape had appeared almost like an aura containing and surrounding the energy lines, which is how the tapestry’s name came to be. The tapestry is 2’ wide by 3’ high, and was woven in the studio at Moon Rain Centre in the spring of 2010.

-Thoma Ewen

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The Chalice (2010)