Illustration Friday: Magnify

The Illustration Friday topic this week is magnify. I have actually been thinking about this tapestry, which I wove long, long ago, in a studio far, far away (well, across town, anyway), and I decided it would fit the theme well. "Magnify," according to my computer dictionary, means several things. It means 'to make something appear larger than it is (as with a microscope)'; it also means 'to exaggerate the importance of' something; and also it has been used in spiritual terms to mean to 'extol, praise, or glorify' the Lord.

This tapestry includes all of those definitions. It is titled "The Lion and the Lamb." I was noticing the true beauty of the common dandelion as I walked near our cabin one day, where they are very large, the blooms and seedheads being 3-5 inches across. Then it occurred to me that in that one plant, a 'noxious weed' at that, there appears a lion-type flower along side a lamb-type seedhead; the Lion lying down with the Lamb, as it were. I wondered if that was an intentional thing done by the clever Creator? So, of course, I had to weave it.

The tapestry greatly magnifies the dandelion. It is 36x40". It was woven at a sett of 5 epi, which is quite a loose sett for me. But I used huge bundles of weft yarns together... all kinds of stuff, (rayon, silk, textured yarns) blended with wool. The 'black' background actually has no true black in it; it is purples, dark blues and greens. The seedhead is mohair, as are the seeds floating away.

Even though this piece is an old one, (and who would ever buy a tapestry of a weed?) I still like it a lot. It brings back to me that moment when I saw the lion and the lamb lying down together in this humble plant. And, as I am a pacifist, that concept is a very inspiring one to me.