the weave goes on,

and the weave goes on
fork keep pounding rhythm to the warp
La de da de de, la de da de da

 

Ah, the trials & tribulations of weaving a condor. Nobody told me there would be days like these when I chose to become a tapestry weaver…

 

How does one weave feet & legs covered in… ahem, how do I phrase this delicately… condor excrement? All birds have an all-purpose-orifice used for mating, egg laying, evacuation of waste materials. Condor legs & feet are actually a pinkish-salmon color, but they defecate on them as a way of cooling off since birds do not sweat. Said defecation dries to a lovely greyish-white chalky coating. Makes one very glad to be human with our much less messy & much more elegant air conditioning technology.

 

The answer is:

very carefully, with many rounds of weaving & unweaving…

 

How does one weave a naked, wrinkled head the color of a sunburned boiled shrimp & designed for insertion into rotting carcasses to retrieve tasty snacks? How does one weave a bulging, red rubbery crop made for holding said feast for later digestion? Condors may have faces that only a mother (& perhaps a certain weaver with an acquired taste), could love, but they, along with all other carrion eaters, do the extremely important job of dispensing of the nasty bits.

 

The answer is:

very carefully, with many rounds of weaving & unweaving…

 

 

How does one take a respite from the effort of weaving such a monumental tapestry, an effort now chalking up to 1 year, 2 months, 4 days & counting, a respite that will not only refresh & inspire continued effort, but will also provide a dangling carrot full of the promise of future endeavors?

 

The answer is:

Attain another artist residency in a place somewhat related to, but yet very different from the Grand Canyon, an area I have visited often in the past & which I have always longed to spend more time in— Lees Ferry at Paria Canyon, part of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

 

 

I am honored to announce that I will be GCNRA’s Artist-in-Park during April 2012 as part of the Park’s recognition of Arizona’s Centennial celebration. They have graciously awarded me this residency knowing that I must first complete the condor tapestry for the North Rim before beginning work on a tapestry for them. Lees Ferry is located near the mouth of Paria Canyon where the Paria River empties into the Colorado River & in days gone by was the only location where travelers could cross the Colorado. Now Lees Ferry is the launching area for Colorado River trips through the Grand Canyon; the nearby Navajo Bridge, another area of GCNRA which spans the gorge of Marble Canyon & also happens to be a favorite haunt of condors, does the job of getting travelers across the Colorado. Check them out on Google Earth for a condor’s eye view of the amazing terrain. To live for an extended time in that environment where I will be surrounded by canyons & currents both locked in stone & swirling in the mighty Colorado will be as galvanizing for my inspiration as the Eno River is for Silvia Heyden & the Atlantic is for Annie Kerr.

 

Lastly, how does one go about putting a name on this tapestry which has been defining my life, filling most of my waking moments & many of my insomniac ones, this tapestry that attempts to honor a bird which garners little love for her aesthetic appeal, but whose story is amazing & unprecedented, this tapestry that will fly away to reside in one of our country’s most renowned environments to be seen by hundreds of thousands of visitors? Hmmm… not a speck of pressure here, right?

 

The answer is:

Spend 1 year, 2 months, 4 days & counting thinking on it, endlessly scribbling in & crossing out lists of possibilities, when finally there comes a moment while sitting at the loom totally engaged in weaving aforementioned beautiful head a title suddenly soars large into your mind like a condor over a cliff edge, full of layers of meaning that are both personal & condor-worthy…

 

May I present, now nearly half complete at approximately 4.5 feet of woven height (brought to you by the magic of Photoshop layers)--

 

GRAND JOURNEY

 

And the weave goes on…

Comments

[lyn hart]

Tommye, thank you so much for your heartfelt words. You have been one of my biggest inspirations ever since we "met" through our blogs... if it wasn't for your sharing of your own residency experiences, I never would have even thought to do anything like this. You can bet that my condor will be carrying a bit of you with her to the Grand Canyon!

Gaelyn, I will be at Lees Ferry from April 1st to the 28th... Dennis will be with me for a small portion of that time. I will email you as the time gets closer so we can plan a get together!

[tommye scanlin]

Lyn,
I had/have tears in my eyes as I read your post. First, congratulations on your persistence with your lady! Second, and not least-- CONGRATULATIONS on the next residency! Third, your title for the piece was what brought out the tears. I know that your dedication to the task, insight into the importance of the condor, and immersion into all that's involved into making a creative statement are coming together to make this a beautiful piece. I hope to see it in person someday!!!!

[lyn hart]

Oh my goodness, you all inspire me so much with your kind words & excitement! Those of you who weave & blog about your own work motivate me to keep at it; those of you who write beautiful prose on your blogs lift me up when I am feeling down; those of you who share stellar photos of beautiful, special places on your blogs remind why what I am doing is important; those of you who simply visit & read help me remember why I started my blog to begin with-- to share with others a love of art & life.

Thank you all for hanging in there & commenting when I finally write a new post... I have wanted to write much more often than this, but it just seems that I write when I know the time is right. Just like when I suddenly know I have woven a stubborn head & "bad feet" right!

[Rebecca Mezoff]

Awesome awesome awesome. And I love the excrement-as-cooling-device thing. :)
Congrats on Glen Canyon!

[Jan Austin]

Oh yeah, the head looks perfect! Hopefully the second half will go more quickly, after all it's downhill, right?

[Annie Kerr]

I'm astounded to see it so far, and smiling at your final words which convey so well how far you've come with this piece and how far you have to go. In for the long haul, birds with bad feet and all. I'm so excited and a little bit jealous that you can go off and do another residency. Wild wild places are waiting for you!!!

Thanks for linking to my pages. Ax

[Gaelyn]

How does one even start to find the descriptive words for this Grand Journey? She is a beauty.

Just when will you be at Lees Ferry in April?

[D]

My dear the tapestry is more amazing than the image that has existed in my mind for many months. You and it are incredible. I love you.