A workshop with Joan Baxter

Joan Baxter led a workshop day at the Durham Guild in June 2006. She encouraged us to work in shapes, rather than lines, and have fun, letting the tapestry tell a story as it grew. We got to use her gorgeous hand-dyed yarns. She encouraged us to select a main colour and then add secondary colours as highlights. This gave the tapestry a congruence yet allowed character and other colours to come in.

The lower green section of the tapestry was woven with Joan's yarns at the workshop, the upper blue section was woven later with my own shop-bought yarns.

About the artist
On her website, Joan says: "My work deals with landscape, its echoes of history, its legends, its atmospheres and moods. I am particularly inspired by the rich cultural heritage and wild beauty of the landscapes of the far North of Scotland where I live.I choose to work in the traditional woven tapestry medium because I like the way my initial ideas can develop and expand during the slow and deliberate making process.The process, although a very ancient one, allows me to push boundaries in design, technique, materials and concepts."