Handwoven Tapestries

By Rita Romanova Gekht

There are two aspects of tapestry weaving that attracted me to this ancient medium. One technical, where something that starts with a simple “over-under” movement can grow into enormous, bigger-than-life wall hangings as Renaissance tapestries did. Then there is the visual aspect, where painting-like qualities, texture and wide color pallets create a story-telling composition.

In designing tapestries, I am often drawn to architecture — that marvelous creation of the eye and human mind, the intricate relations of line, shape and structure. There are many technical similarities in the processes of constructing a structure and weaving a tapestry, in layering shapes upon one another, interconnecting them for strength, in finding that perfect balance of verticals and horizontals. Yet, unlike architectural compositions, I can break many rules by stretching and distorting the image, altering designs in ways that need not withstand any practical tests — they just balance on the imagination.

I think of weaving as belonging to the realm of mystical arts. Its meditative qualities, which are grounded in repetition and are heightened by tactile and visual sensations, have an ability to offer a beautiful escape and transform my mind into a place of peace and harmony.