Woven By Hand

Woven By Hand: Contemporary Canadian Tapestries is a collective of recent tapestries designed and woven by eleven Canadian tapestry artists and curated by Thoma Ewen. Each artist is a master in the art and craft of tapestry weaving, having dedicated many decades to creation in this medium and each is recognised internationally for their outstanding artistry, achievements and commitment to the medium of tapestry.

Curator Thoma Ewen began art studies as a child with Ottawa artist Eva Jawoska. Regular visits to the National Gallery of Canada familiarised her with Canadian Art and the Group of Seven, and inspired her creativity. Following a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Victoria in 1971, Ewen received a scholarship to travel to Helsinki to study with Finnish tapestry artist Oili Maki. She apprenticed under Maki, weaving tapestries and accompanying her to exhibitions and artist’s talks. That experience was the basis for Ewen’s lifelong studio practice in the art and craft of tapestry weaving. 

Her work as an artist weaver over the past forty years has been an investigation of what it means to be a human being influenced by the natural landscape and beauty of the earth. It is a visual exploration of the forces or energies that move through everything on and beyond the planet. Light is an important element and a source of inspiration. Ewen tries to communicate the harmony and movement in the universe. 

Woven By Hand features work by Line Dufour, Thoma Ewen, Murray Gibson, Peter Harris, Barbara Heller, Jane Kidd, Marcel Marois, Paulette Marie Sauve, Suzanne Paquette, Ixchel Suarez, and Linda Wallace.

25 August - 6 October 2019, Galerie Montcalm, Maison du Citoyen, Gatineau, QC Canada.