Ellen Ramsey
Contemporary Tapestry

Blog: Musings on Textile Art

  1. The Big Hack Revealed

    2021-04-30 19:11:00 UTC
    In my last post I wrote about getting started on the first large(ish) tapestry in a new series of work. After four months on the loom, I finished weaving the piece on New Year’s Eve 2021 with a rather solitary cutting off with my husband and the dog. I dragged…

  2. A New Direction (Before Covid19, Part 2)

    2020-08-07 19:50:57 UTC
    I’ve never done an artists residency (and still haven’t) but setting up shop in unfamiliar Brooklyn last winter turned out to be very productive situation for me. Due to space and time restrictions, I was forced to work small – which is not really my jam, but I made the…

  3. New York City Art Adventure (Before Covid19) Part I of 2

    2020-07-27 15:12:55 UTC
    Just recently four boxes arrived at my door. They contained the contents of my “sabbatical studio” in Brooklyn and receiving them represented the last tie to my brief but fun time living in New York City last fall and winter. I can't believe how much time has passed since then…

  4. Creative Paralysis: Side Effect of Pandemic Restrictions?

    2020-04-30 20:33:00 UTC
    Sometimes you just have to cut bait and jump ship. I left NYC abruptly in early March. This sample had to be sacrificed in order to pack the pipe loom. What to do when your normal routine comes to a grinding halt? That’s the question we all face during this…

  5. Mining Historic Textiles as a Route to the Future

    2020-03-26 02:55:03 UTC
    The following is a Guest Post by weaver Mary Lane about her recent work and her participation in a workshop led by Gerhardt Knodel on mining historic textiles for design inspiration.  I was a participant in this workshop as well, but I asked Mary to write about her experience because

  6. A Visit with Erin Riley

    2020-03-18 21:16:00 UTC
    Erin M. Riley in her studio So, I’ve been living in NYC since October and one thing that was high on my list was to meet tapestry phenom Erin M. Riley. I was finally able to meet her in February. If you don’t follow Erin’s work, you should! (www.erinmriley.com)  She…

  7. In the Galleries: Alexandra Mocanu

    2020-01-26 23:27:12 UTC
    I was fortunate to see tapestries by French-Romanian artist Alexandra Mocanu at Twenty First Gallery, New York, in December. For the weaving geek, there was much to swoon over Twenty First Gallery, 76 Franklin Street, NYC Twenty First Gallery First of all, allow me to apologize for the yellow cast…

  8. A Field Trip to Browngrotta Arts

    2019-11-08 17:55:56 UTC
    This week I finally had the chance to see an exhibition of fiber art collected by Sandra and Louis Grotta. For thirty years, Browngrotta Arts has been the premiere gallery dealing in dimensional textile art, sculpture, and fine craft in the U.S., and for nearly that long, I have wanted…

  9. Heallreaf

    2019-11-04 17:29:00 UTC
    This year was my first year participating in Heallreaf, an international tapestry biennial in the UK organized by Margaret Jones.  Yes, you heard me right – a major exhibition organized entirely by a single individual.  This would be quite a feat even if Heallreaf was limited to artists living in…

  10. Tapestry in the Galleries: Terri Friedman

    2019-10-21 15:29:00 UTC
    So way back in April, I saw a show of tapestries by Terri Friedman at Guerro Gallery in San Francisco. The experience was kind of a “perfect storm,” in that I had only just become acquainted with her work on Instagram, where she mentioned the opening of her show. I…

Using Format