'April, Come She Will...'

Today was Studio Tuesday. It was a somewhat poignant day for me. It is the last work day for me when my husband will also be at work. I do not know what that means yet, but we will work it out, I am sure. I do plan to continue my newly established 'Studio Tuesdays,' so my husband will just need to find something to do on that day that does not include my input or participation.

I am not quite sure when my next studio work day will be, be it Tuesday or any other day. We have some other things going on that will take precedence for a bit. So it was a great day to complete a tapestry! Above is the 'April' calendar tapestry, still on the loom, before I wove the hem. And below is the tapestry, just off the loom, resting on the floor. Neither photo shows the true colors; it is not this 'bright.' But it is late in the day, so this is the best I can do. I will get a better photo soon, but this gives you the idea, at least.

This tapestry is a bit of a self-portrait - though it doesn't necessarily look at all like me. (I believe an artist has the option to use rose tinted lenses in self-portraits!) The things that are most 'me' are the things other than the figure: the blackbird, representing both the music I love and the birds we feed and love; the guitar, representing my decision to take a risk and learn something new and difficult, even at a late date; the flowering crab blossoms, which represent the month of April, when they bloom in my backyard. This whole tapestry is fairly personal. April is my birth month, and I believe this 'April' tapestry is one that I will keep.

I still have a good bit of work to do on this tapestry, though there are very few slits to sew. I will trim the back and block it, and then it and the 'October' tapestry have yet to be mounted. This tapestry, like all the calendar tapestries, is 18x18 inches. I have yet to design and weave the July and December tapestries. Soon, and very soon, hopefully........